Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls’ High School in Kakamega County, Kenya, has been closed indefinitely following the tragic deaths of two students in a case of suspected food and water poisoning.
This outbreak has resulted in 246 learners being hospitalized in just one week, with some reporting diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, and breathlessness. The Education Director of the Western Region, Jared Obiero, visited the school on Monday morning and announced that the Ministry of Health and county government medical staff were investigating the outbreak.
The initial number of students hospitalized with symptoms was 124, but this number more than doubled. While most students have been discharged, twenty-five are still receiving treatment.
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The first student who died was from Bungoma County, while the second student died at home in Navakholo after falling ill. The situation has caused great concern among parents, who rushed to the school to collect their children after hearing about the deaths.
The school’s management board chairman, Dr. Josphat Kaswira, confirmed the deaths and expressed his condolences to the families of the two students. After receiving the Kenya Medical Research Institute’s (KEMRI) report, he promised to implement corrective measures.
Senator Boni Khalwale accompanied the school by Woman Representative Elsie Muhanda and called for an overhaul of the school’s management due to the dire situation. Last Friday, he visited the institution and urged the Ministry of Health to close the school to avert a health crisis.
Medics at the Kakamega general hospital suspect that the learners may have suffered from food or water poisoning, and the samples collected have been sent to the KEMRI for analysis. The school principal, Fridah Ndolo, has asked parents to pray for the students and the school community and advised them to take their children to the hospital for treatment if they display any symptoms.
