Dr Shariff said that the government has dispatched medical personnel and enough drugs to take care of the problem. This is a disease which can easily be contained through simple hygiene,'' said Shariff. Cholera is an infectious disease caused by bacteria which attacks the stomach and bowels causing severe diarrhoea. It is contracted from contaminated water and food. If untreated, cholera can lead to death.
Patients often suffer from severe dehydration caused by massive diarrhoea and muscular cramps.
The treatment consists of intravenous replacement of lost fluids and salts, along with doses of antibiotics. Kenya's first case of cholera was reported in June in the western province of Nyanza which borders Uganda and Tanzania. In this province, at least 400 people have died, and up to 3,000 cases have been treated in hospitals in the region. Close to half of the reported deaths occurred between Jul. 1 and Sep. 18, the WHO said. The epidemic, which began in the north-western area of Kigoma, has now spread to 17 out of Tanzania's 20 regions, WHO added in its report.