UPDATE 1 -- UN: Cholera outbreak hits Kenya's largest refugee camp

UPDATE 1 -- UN: Cholera outbreak hits Kenya's largest refugee camp

2011-11-16 15:07:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- At least sixty cases of cholera, including ten which were confirmed in a laboratory, have been detected in Kenya's overcrowded Dadaab refugee complex, the United Nations reported on Wednesday.

With insecurity and heavy rains already hampering humanitarian efforts in the region, the UN reported that there were now 60 cases of cholera in the camp, including 10 laboratory-confirmed cases and one refugee death.

Andrej Mahecic, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said the outbreak is believed to have started among new arrivals from Somalia or people en-route to Dadaab. "Rains and flooding had affected the trucking of water to parts of the camps, and we fear some refugees resorted to using unsafe water from flooded areas," Mahecic told reporters in Geneva.

To manage the cholera outbreak, the UNHCR and its partners have set up cholera treatment centers for severe cases. Most of the cases can be managed through oral re-hydration solutions that can be given at home or at the health posts.

"We have increased levels of chlorine, which kills cholera-causing bacteria, at water points in the camps," said Mahecic. "These are monitored to make sure they are maintained at the correct levels," he added, stating that the agency was also promoting hygiene practices among the refugees, especially the use of latrines and hand washing with soap.

Each refugee received 250 grams (8.8 ounces) of soap with the latest food distribution and this will continue monthly for several months, Mahecic explained. In addition, the agency is working with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Health to train health workers in the community-based management of diarrhea so that patients can begin treatment at home.

Dadaab is home to more than 400,000 registered refugees, nearly all of them Somali. Around 100 additional Kenyan police officers were deployed at the complex last month after the kidnapping of three aid workers.

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