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home » 16 dead of "mysterious disease" in Kenya

16 dead of "mysterious disease" in Kenya

by Paula | 5 May 2009 | permalink | comments
Tags: disease, globalization

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Via the pandemic subreddit, from the International Society for Infectious Diseases: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES — KENYA: (BUNGOMA), REQUEST FOR INFORMATION:

Date: 3 May 2009
Source: Kenya KTN TV / The Standard [edited]
http://www.eastandard.net/videos/?id=1144013251

‘Mysterious disease’, 16 dead in Kenya

———————————————————

A total of 16 people have died of “mysterious” disease in western district. Text of report by Kenyan privately-owned TV station KTN on [3 May 2009] (video report available at Kenya News Paper The Standard website):

[Presenter] We have received reports this evening from Bungoma regarding the deaths of about 10 people in Kabula sub-location, in Bungoma South District in a week, from a disease which has not been established. According to area residents, the dead victims suffered from diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding from their noses and eyes before dying.

The residents of the area have accused health officials of failing to take action to stop the deaths and the spreading of the disease. In one homestead, a man his wife and son died one after the other, spreading panic among people. The disease has so far not been established. Our reporter Zubeida Kananu has the details:

[Kananu] This is Remwa village, and soon after our arrival, we met sad and terrified people following the death of a whole family over the mysterious disease. It is said, a boy from this village died on Thursday [30 Apr 2009] this week from the disease and day later, his father died. His mother died shortly afterwards.

[Unidentified man in Swahili] Since he was taken ill, the boy did not speak and uttered no word even to the people attending to him when he was taken to hospital; he just died.

[Kananu] Before their deaths, the victims had diarrhoea, vomiting, shedding tears and blood from their eyes and noses. This disease is mysterious to the villagers. About 16 people from Remwa, Ashioya and Kabula villages in Bungoma district had the same symptoms and died from the disease.

[Second unidentified man in Swahili] People who have attended funeral ceremonies, having washed the bodies of their relatives for burial have died.

[Kananu] Following the eruption and spread of the disease, all pigs in the areas have been confined and some locked in their sheds over fears of the swine flu which erupted in Mexico some weeks ago.

Meanwhile, health officers from the area have been blamed for failing to take appropriate action to tackle the disease.

—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail

[The description of the disease along with the perceived association
with preparation of bodies of deceased cases for burial is highly
reminiscent of descriptions that have accompanied outbreaks of viral
hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Africa. The symptom complex of
diarrhea and vomiting along with epistaxis (nose bleed) and bleeding
from eyes has also been described in outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic
fevers.

Johnson et al demonstrated antibodies against Ebola virus, Marburg
virus and Rift Valley Fever Virus in residents of Lodwar, Laisamis,
Malindi/Kilifi (see ref 1 below). CCHF has also been described in
Kenya (see ref. 2 below). While there have not been reports of yellow
fever in humans in Kenya in more than 10 years, Kenya is still in the
yellow fever risk zone.

More information on this outbreak would be greatly appreciated.

For a map of Kenya, see
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/kenya_pol88.jpg. The Western Division borders with Uganda where outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic
fevers have been reported in recent times (see prior references below).

For the interactive HealthMap/ProMED map of Bungoma District, Western Division Kenya, see http://healthmap.org/r/00b3.

References:
—————-
1. Johnson BK, Ocheng D, Gichogo A, Okiro M, Libondo D, Tukei PM, Ho
M, Mugambi M, Timms GL, French M. Antibodies against haemorrhagic
fever viruses in Kenya populations. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg.
1983;77(5):731-3.

2. Dunster L, Dunster M, Ofula V, Beti D, Kazooba-Voskamp F, Burt F,
et al. First documentation of human Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever,
Kenya. Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 2002 Sep;8. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol8no9/01-0510.htm

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