Medical personnel attend to cholera patients inside a special ward at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya July 19, 2017. [Photo: voanews.com]Some 21 people among them a KCPE candidate are admitted to various hospitals in Embu County after they were diagnosed with cholera-like symptoms.According to Dr Jamleck Muturi, the county executive in charge of health, the first cases were reported in Grogan slums in Manyatta and Kanduri village in Runyenjes before other cases were detected in Mbeere South, the Nation reports.Majority of the patients had severe diarrhoea and vomiting with 11 of them recuperating at Embu Level Five Hospital while others were admitted to Kiritiri and Runyenjes Level Four hospitals where they were in isolation.The outbreak, the Nation adds, has led to Embu County government banning food hawking and mass feeding at burials, weddings and other social gatherings throughout the county."Starting today, we will deploy health officials to check on the hygiene status of hotels and those found wanting will be closed. This is meant to curb the spread of the disease. Those who had planned to hold weddings must get authorisation from public health officers if they have to serve food to guests," Dr Muturi said, quoted by Nation.Dr Muturi noted that medics were working round the clock to stabilise the KCPE candidate ahead of the examinations which kick off on Tuesday after Monday's rehearsals.The health executive said they suspect 60 percent of the contamination is from untreated water sources since most of the patients had not travelled outside the county, adds the Nation.

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