Two more patients at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) have succumbed to the cholera outbreak that has broken in the capital.
And aaccording to records at the facility, at least 50 people, from different areas within Nairobi, were admitted in ward 1F.
“We have patients from Kileleshwa, Githurai, Kawangware, Pipeline, Mukuru kwa Njenga and Embakasi South,” said a nurse at the hospital’s emergency wing.
The situation at the hospital has been worsened with staff shortage, with the medical officers warning that there is no safe place.
“Nurses, just like other people, are scared of cholera so much that they have refused to be booked for locums,” said a source at the referral facility as quoted by the Daily Nation.
“I usually have too many nurses asking for locums that I do not know who to give and who to turn down. Now we are literally begging them to come.”
With the high number of reported cases, facilities have become minimal, with few beds that cannot accommodate the high number.
“When I requested for beds and more isolation room, I was told that we will cross the bridge when we get there,” added the source.
The county has moved to contain the outbreak, with Health CeC saying they will conduct a crackdown on all unlicensed food joints in the city.
On July 14, top government officers, including National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, his Trade colleague Adan Mohammed and Trade Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo as well as several staff from the two ministries were treated for cholera-related symptoms. This was after they ate food at a trade event at KICC.