Flood-hit Kenya reports cases of cholera, as WHO warns of spreading of waterborne diseases

  • 4 months ago

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Transcript
00:00 Meanwhile, the UN's warned that weeks of flooding in Kenya has led to a spike in cases of cholera.
00:07 At least 250 people have died since heavy rains began lashing East Africa in March.
00:14 But on top of those who've lost their lives in flood-related disasters, at least 44 cases
00:19 of cholera have been recently reported.
00:22 Our Olivia Beazle tells us more.
00:25 44 cases of cholera have been identified in the Tana River County in the eastern part
00:31 of Kenya.
00:32 That's where the worst effects of climate change have been taking place, the worst effects
00:38 of this heavy rain that has been battering Kenya since the beginning of March.
00:43 Now on Tuesday, Kenya's health secretary said that if nothing is done to prevent the spread
00:49 of cholera, then it could become a national disaster.
00:52 She also warned that it's not just the spread of cholera that is concerning, but that other
00:57 diseases could also spread as well, including malaria, for example, or asthma.
01:03 That's because of these floods.
01:07 And now the worst, the areas in Kenya that are being the worst affected and they're at
01:14 the highest risk of cholera is in informal settlements across the country's urban areas.
01:21 Earlier this week, I was in Nairobi's informal settlement of Kibera and a lot of people that
01:28 I spoke to there talked to me about their fears of diseases like cholera spreading.

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