Kenya has declared a yellow fever outbreak. The East African country’s Ministry of Health announced the new development on Saturday, after an outbreak was reported at the Isiolo County.
Three people were reported dead already with more than twenty contracting the virus in Imerti and Garbatulla subcounties.
In the report released on Saturday by Dr. Patrick Amoth, Kenya’s Director General of Health, he saidthe Kenya Medical Research Institute discovered three of the six samples tested returned positive. The report also said an alert has been sent round the country to notify other counties of the need to watch out.
Fifteen suspected cases have been found since the first case was reported on the 12th of January. Some of the symptoms found are those consistent with Yellow Fever including headache, joint pains and jaundice.
“This is therefore to raise an alarm in all the 47 counties more so the high-risk counties including Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit, Meru, Samburu, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot and Turkana,” the statement said.
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“A small proportion of patients who contract the virus develop severe symptoms and approximately half die within 7 to 10 days.”
The disease is suspected to have been transmitted through the sylvatic route – through mosquito bites from the wild.
Majority of those down with the disease are currently young males with the youngest being 11 and oldest patient reported to be 65.