MOH: 16 new Kala-azar infections reported

Public Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muthoni speaking in Kirinyaga county on April 9, 2025. /SCREENGRAB/MOH

Kenya recorded 16 new Kala-azar infections in the last 24 hours, Public Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muthoni has said.

The PS said the death toll now stands at 33 countrywide.

"Already we have 1,041 cases and just last night we had 16 new cases that have been recovered," Muthoni said, adding that Northeastern counties are the worst affected.

Kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, is a life-threatening disease caused by the Leishmania parasite, transmitted by female sandflies, and characterised by fever, weight loss and enlargement of the spleen and liver.

"We have been able to enhance our surveillance in Garissa county, we have been able to send help, we sent three mobile labs in Wajir county and one to Marsabit county. Our support staff are on the ground."

PS Muthoni said the support team is working closely with Wajir county government, the epicenter, to deal with the disease that broke out in September last year.

On Tuesday, Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdulahi said efforts were underway to contain the disease as they are now discharging more people than they are admitting with the support from the national government.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has called for extreme vigilance and enhanced hygiene as it works to deal with a cholera outbreak that has now claimed six lives countrywide.

Speaking in Kirinyaga, PS Muthoni said simple practices, such as boiling drinking water and frequent handwashing, should not be abandoned to curtail further spread of the disease.

The PS who gave fresh statistics that show over 70 people are affected, called for a return to the ‘epuka uchafu’ campaign that aims at driving Kenyans to be mindful of their environment and have regular cleaning habits.

She said the ministry is on its end distributing tablets as a stopgap measure, "but the government wants you to keep your environment clean by minding where you stay."

Muthoni said Community Health Promoters (CHPs) will distribute the water-cleaning tablets to areas that are greatly affected, noting a departure from basic hygiene practices has contributed to an upsurge of the disease.