The first semester of this year at Moi University was characterized by a major outbreak of typhoid which lasted for almost a month.
The disease affected close to 100 students residing outside the school.
According to Dr Wilson Saurey who operates Lelmolok clinic at the Kesses based institution, the deadly outbreak was caused by contamination of water.
“The students residing inside the school were safe. The ones residing outside the school were the ones who were largely affected. Water from the sewage system mixed with water in the boreholes hence contaminating it,” Dr Saurey noted.
Shortage of water from around February to around March made the situation worse as boreholes ran dry leaving the students with limited sources of water.
“Poor sanitation, especially in hotels, catalyzed the outbreak. This led to serious cases as students with weak immune systems were affected multiple times,” the doctor noted.
The doctor emphasized the fact that Typhoid which is caused by the Salmonella typhimurium bacteria and that it is a deadly disease with the ability to kill its victims through dehydration and fever.
If left untreated, 1 in 5 cases can be fatal.
Some of the students recalled vividly how they were hospitalized while suffering from the disease.
“It was my worst period of the semester because my roommate and I were hospitalized for almost an entire weak. It took me a long time to recover from it, but finally, I made a full recovery," Diana Cheptoo narrated.
According to Nickson Kemboi, the chairman of the Moi University Students Organization (MUSO), the administration together with the students' council were doing all that they can to ensure clean water supply.
"The main problem we are having is that most of the wells are built near toilets which affects the quality of water that students use. Last semester, the dry condition also affected greatly the water content from the ground. My administration and my secretaries are working tirelessly to fight for the survival of students who live in and out of the campus," Kemboi stated.
The doctor advised students especially those residing outside the school to maintain good hygiene and boil water used for cooking and washing utensils.
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