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Rampant malaria kills 33 in Kisii
- Details
- Published on Saturday, 07 July 2007 06:50
Among the victims was a Kanu councillor-elect, Mr Gilbert Juma Mwancha of Sameta Ward, Bobasi Constituency, who died moments after being admitted at Ram Memorial Hospital, Kisii Town.
The district medical officer of health, Dr Andrew Nyamweya, said more than 1,470 patients were admitted in various hospitals within the town. He said the district hospital took in 718 cases which have caused serious congestion.
Dr Nyamweya said the outbreak had caused mass panic and that quacks were complicating treatment by either giving underdoses or overdoses to patients who seek their services only for these to be rushed to the hospital for admission when in critical condition.
He said 10 people had died at the Kisii District General Hospital on Saturday - and yesterday and they had, in all, handled more than 1,550 cases in the past week.
At Getembe Nursing Hospital, Dr Nyagwoko Keriga said five people had died by yesterday morning, while they had 106 cases in the ward. More than 440 cases had been handled by Satur day. As he spoke to the Press, 10 more victims were brought in.
Dr Nyagwoko said the situation had been made worse by the El Nino rains which washed away many roads in Kisii, Nyamira and Gucha districts. He suspected that people could be dying in their homes as roads were impassable.
Dr Solomon Omache of Bosongo Nursing Hospital said one patient died yesterday while he had 87 admissions and had handled more than 300 cases of malaria in the last two days. At Hema Hospital, one of the largest private medical institutions in Kisii District, five people died following the outbreak while 160 were bedridden.
The newly-opened Ram Memorial Hospital was equally congested, with 112 malaria patients admitted and three, among them Cllr Mwancha, dead.
At Tabaka Catholic Mission Hospital, the outbreak killed seven people while 170 were admitted. The doctors said they had handled more than 666 cases in the past week.
Doctors at Christa Marianne Hospital reported two deaths and 120 admissions. Dr Nyamweya said that Kisii District needed more medical and clinical officers to team up with the more than 200 nurses in fighting the outbreak. He said that the district general hospital was overcrowded with 718 admitted patients while its bed capacity was 242.
Dr Nyamweya, who was accompanied by the Kisii District nursing officer, Mr Samuel Keragori, said 394 children had been admitted in paediatric wards against a capacity of 50 beds. Some are lying on the floor with their mothers. While they had enough anti-malaria drugs for now, there was need for more.
He announced that quinine, which, he said, was reacting well in patients attacked by highland malaria, had been supplied to health centres and urged those who fell sick to immediately go to the nearest health centre for treatment.
He said local residents should take preventive measures more seriously and use mosquito nets, drain stagnant water and clear the bush around their houses.
Several leaders yesterday called on the Government to move swiftly to control the disease. The doctors said those attacked by highland malaria experienced severe headaches and swiftly became anaemic. They also vomit and complain of general weakness of the joints. Malaria outbreaks have been com mon in Kisii. In 1994, the disease killed more than 500 people.
