Students admitted at hospital in Nyamira County in suspected food poisoning

Nyamira

Thursday, July 20, 2023,

KNA by Deborah Bochere

One hundred and thirty-eight students from Ikonge PAG Girls Secondary School in Nyamira are admitted to various hospitals in Nyamira County after allegedly consuming contaminated food or water.

Nyamira North Sub County Director of Education Ms. Clare Oyula confirmed to the press that 45 students are admitted at Mogumo health centre, 90 at Ekerenyo Hospital and three in critical condition are getting specialized treatment at Nyamira County Referral Hospital.

"I received information early today that students in the school were complaining of severe stomach ache, where most of them were having running stomachs. They were rushed to hospitals for treatment despite the logistical challenges posed by countrywide demonstrations and we further called the department of County public health to investigate and know the exact cause of this outbreak,” Oyula said.

The Education Officer assured that the hospitalized students are responding well to medication and the majority will be discharged to go back to school and resume their studies.

Nyamira County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of health Dr. Timothy Ombati told the media that county medics are working round the clock to ensure that the admitted patients are attended to professionally so that they can be back to their health as soon as possible.

“Our clinicians have collected stool samples from the admitted students for lab tests to ascertain their true ailment and its cause. We have further dispatched public health officers to the school to investigate their operating health standards and look at other health parameters which may have triggered this outbreak,” Ombati stated.

He hinted that he will order County public health officers to conduct an inspection of institutions with a population of more than 500 learners to ensure they operate within the required health standards and at the same time recommend ways in which such institutions of high population will maintain recommended health standards to guarantee the health of learners.

Courtesy ; K. N. A