Kenya stops schools due to an unknown disease outbreak

Authorities claim that over 95 students have been affected by the sickness, the majority of them are unable to walk.

Following the hospitalisation of scores of students for an unidentified disease on Wednesday, Kenyan officials announced the temporary closure of a high school in the west of the nation.

According to reports and video posted on social media, the bulk of the students at St. Theresa’s Eregi Girls High School in Western Kakamega County who contracted the illness were left largely paralysed and unable to walk.

According to reports, while outbreak investigations are ongoing, learners in levels one through three will be given a one-week break by the high school administration and county government representatives.

The Kakamega regional administration issued a statement saying, “Form 1, 2, and 3 students were allowed to temporarily take a break and are expected to report back next week once the situation has been carefully assessed and necessary measures put in place to prevent any recurrence of a similar situation.”

The Daily Nation newspaper said that the decision to temporarily close the school was made after kids went on the rampage and vandalised government property while some parents insisted on bringing their children home.

However, a top Education Ministry official who visited the school on Tuesday gave frightened parents the assurance that things were under control and that other children would continue to attend regular courses as they prepared for their final national exam later this month.

Africanews cited Jared Obiero, the regional director of education, as saying, “The education department, county government, and public health department are committed to ensuring the children receive appropriate treatment.”

According to Bonface Okoth, a member of the Kakamega County Executive Committee responsible for education, more than 95 kids were admitted to the hospital as a result of the epidemic on Wednesday.

He said samples of the affected students’ blood, urine, and faeces had been submitted to the Kenya Medical Research Institute’s labs in Nairobi and Kisumu for additional examination.

The fatalities showed “elevated electrolytes,” a medical officer at a nearby hospital told the Kenyan Star news agency after first laboratory testing. An electrolyte imbalance is thought to happen when the body’s mineral levels are either unusually high or low, frequently brought on by a loss of bodily fluids.