AFRICA/KENYA - Schools closed in several coastal areas due to severe cholera epidemic

Msambweni (Agenzia Fides) – About 11,000 students from different schools in the districts of Kwale and Msambweni, in the coastal area of Kenya, were forced to leave school before the Easter holidays following a severe cholera epidemic that hit the region. The latest closures were those in elementary schools in Jomo Kenyatta and Karama, a total of around 18. The infected people in the two districts number 250. According to the office of the Msambweni Health Department, patients, including students, are receiving treatment at the hospital in the district of Msambweni, while others were admitted to different clinics, including in Vistangalaweni, Shimoni, Mwenza Mwenye, and Chiranze. The spread of the disease is due principally to poor hygiene and lack of drinking water. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 29/3/2010)