•The outbreak peaked towards the end of April while the last case was reported on May 25, the ministry said.
•It said the rest of the sick have since recovered fully.
Image: FILE
The latest cholera outbreak, which killed one person, appears to have been contained.
The Ministry of Health said the lone death occurred on May 9 and no more cases of the disease have been reported for nearly two weeks.
“A total of 68 cholera cases have been reported in Tana River (60), Lamu (seven) and Siaya (one) counties,” the ministry said in its latest status update.
“One death has been recorded since the beginning of the current wave of the outbreak,” the ministry added.
It said the rest of the sick have since recovered fully.
Cholera is a bacterial disease spread through contaminated water or food.
The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.
"Several risk factors contributed to the spread of this deadly disease. The main one is the destruction of sanitation facilities during these long rains, resulting in the collapse of latrines and the filling of latrines with floodwater," Health PS Mary Muthoni said.
The ministry said the first case was reported on April 13.
Muthoni said the single case is significant, as it amounted to an outbreak.
"Waterborne diseases such as cholera are indeed severe, but they are also preventable. It is crucial to understand that early detection and prompt medical attention can make a significant difference, potentially saving lives," she said.
The outbreak peaked towards the end of April while the last case was reported on May 25, the ministry said.
The country is not out of the woods yet because 39 health facilities were affected in Tana River, Kisumu, Kajiado, Busia, Murang'a, Garissa and Migori.
“Thirty of these facilities are reportedly flooded, one structure is destroyed, four have their access roads cut off/affected, one has its pit latrine destroyed, one with leaking roofs, and one has a collapsed perimeter wall,” the ministry said.
“Thirty-two of the facilities affected are dispensaries and seven are health centres.”
The country is experiencing higher than expected March-April-May rainfall, resulting in flooding and loss of lives, displacement of populations and destruction of key infrastructure.
Nearly all counties have been affected with major impacts being heavy urban flooding, landslides, and destruction of critical infrastructure.
Kenya Meteorological Department forecast indicates the rains have ended in most places.
However, this month will still be wetter than average in most places.
Last week, an international team of leading climate scientists from the World Weather Attribution Group said climate change is one of the drivers of flooding.
The study said that East African cities face double pressure from rapid urbanisation and changing climate risks. Climate models project that heavy rainfall will continue to increase in the region with further warming.
London researcher Joyce Kimutai said historically long rains in East Africa have been challenging to study, as weather observations show a drying trend in the region and climate models project more rains with climate change.
She works at the Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College, London.
“But in recent years, this appears to be changing, and new climate models seem to better reflect how long rains are behaving with global warming," she said.
Kimutai said the most recent weather observations and the latest climate models are more in agreement and show that the long rains are bringing more and more rain every year and that with further warming, they will become even more intense and dangerous.