Poor drainage system leads to cholera

Poor drainage system leads to cholera
WANJALA B. DANSON
Water shortage and lack of drainage systems to drive dirty water has been a problem for Kibra residents for a long time forcing them to use unsatisfied water from water vendors in the area. Unhygienic dirty condition has cause break of cholera disease in the area with several people been hospitalized.
According to Nairobi water and Sewage Company, water vendors in Kibera have connected many small water pipes on the company’s main pipe in the area without proper procedure of laying down the pipes. This connection is said to increased water spilling out of the connection areas and also dirty water sweeping seepage back to the pipes leading to water contamination.
Joshua Orengu, a resident of Soweto Kianda area says water pipes passing by his home have been laid in an open ditch which also transporting dirty water off the area. “Pipes carrying clean water area placed in ditches with dirty water,” he said. “Last week a water pipe busted and guys who own it come with another guy claiming to be a plumber and fix it while still in dirty water. Dirty water had already entered them water but he did nothing but seal it up,” he added.
Njorege Mwangi transport water on a mkokoteni and resell it to residents. He claims that people selling water on mkokoteni sell contaminate water. “We sell water to residents. If it is contaminated then ask the people who sell it to us. However, we meet him transporting water in open baskets down a windy dirty road at Darajani.
“Landlords in Kibera are only concern with money collected in form of rent but care the less about dilapidated health conditions of the houses,” he said.
The situation has worsened by the ongoing rainfall with human waste and garbage contaminating drinking water and leaking into households.
cholera alert that was reported by the Director of Medical Services on 9th February in Nairobi County, out of which one was confirmed dead as a result of Cholera.
In response to the situation, KRCS in collaboration with the County Governments received donations from UNICEF of IV fluids, Chlorine, aqua tabs and Bar Soaps for the nearby primary schools that were at risk. MSF also donated disinfectants and supported to dispatch the sick persons to health facilities within Nairobi County. Furthermore, sensitization by the Ministry Of Health was conducted focusing on environmental sanitation especially hand washing within the affected areas, through health personnel and community health workers.
Cholera requires immediate treatment because the disease can cause death within hours. According to Mayo Clinic Staff, treatment drugs including Rehydration, Intravenous fluids, Antibiotics and Zinc supplements.
Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but sometimes can be severe. An acute water shortage in most part of the country has fuel and adding the break out. Kibera due to heavy rainfall toilet have overflowed contaminating the environment with is cholera.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) Cholera is a severe diarrhea disease that is deadly without treatment. It is caused by poor hygiene and sanitation systems and transmitted through water borne and food borne transmission.
One can transmit the disease by consuming water that is contaminated with feces from an infected person. This is common in areas like Kibera which has poor sewage systems and unclean drinking water. The source of the contamination is typically other cholera patients when their untreated diarrhea discharge is allowed to get into waterways or into groundwater or drinking water supplies. Also, consumption of cholera can be through drinking contaminated water or eating foods that have been washed with or made with contaminated water.
Symptoms of cholera include profuse diarrhea sometimes called ‘rice water stools’   abdominal pain. Others may include vomiting      leg cramps Signs of dehydration, loss of skin plasticity,         sunken eyes,       fast heartbeat      low blood pressure and rapid weight loss
These symptoms start suddenly, usually one to five days after infection, and are the result of a toxin produced by the vibrio cholerae bacterium that compels profuse amounts of fluid from the blood supply into the small and large intestines.
Residents are advised to purification all water used for drinking, washing, or cooking by either boiling chlorination. This is because chlorination and boiling are least expensive and most effective means of treating water and are affordable by Kibra residents.
To prevent cholera from infecting residents’ general preventive measures has to be taken by them.  This include When one is purchasing food should not  not buy food from unlicensed food premises or illegal hawkers selling open food a road roads in Kibera which have unhygienic condition of shops and the holding temperature of food.
Food hygiene at home which include keeping raw and cooked food separately. Consume cooked food and no Left-over food and Boil water thoroughly before drinking.
Personal hygiene like washing hands thoroughly with soap, before eating, preparing food and after visiting the toilet.In case a visitor is infected, the following steps should be taken. Another one is keeping clean kitchen and food store.
In case of infected, one administration of oral rehydration salts to replace lost fluids. Cholera can kill quickly following the onset of symptoms. This can happen at a speed that has incited fear and paralyzed commerce throughout history.
Death from cholera is a consequence of dehydration; the disease is treated using oral rehydration therapy (ORT). ORT is highly effective, safe, and simple to administer. However, they are too expensive, and residents prefer using alternative homemade solutions of various formulas of water, sugar, table salt, baking soda, and fruit which is less expensive.
Other cases have been reported in some counties with Nairobi County reported 8 cases with 1 death, Homa Bay County reported 30 cases with 2 deaths, Migori reported 55 cases with 6 deaths and Kisii County with only 1 case and no death.