Cholera Hits Kenyan Capital on Shortage of Clean Water: Report

(Bloomberg) -- An outbreak of cholera in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, has infected at least 58 people as water shortages are exacerbated by a slow start to the rainy season, Saturday Nation reported.

The cases diagnosed in Nairobi push the nationwide tally to 72 confirmed cases of the infectious waterborne disease, out of more than 1,000 who were tested after reporting symptoms, the newspaper said, citing government officials.

Besides Nairobi, cholera cases have been detected in the counties of Narok, Kajiado, Garissa and Machakos, the Health Ministry said Thursday on its website. The disease is mainly due to a shortage of clean water and poor sanitation, it said.

READ: Drought Delays Crop Planting in Kenya, Stocking Inflation

The East African nation is facing a prolonged dry spell that’s left more than a million people needing food aid. If the conditions deteriorate into a “severe drought,” it could take one percentage point off the government’s economic growth forecast of 6.3 percent this year, according to the nation’s central bank.

To contact the reporter on this story: David Malingha in Nairobi at dmalingha@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann, Rachel Graham

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.