Ezekiel Machogu, Cabinet Secretary for Education, has directed that students from Eregi Girls High School who wish to be treated at home following the outbreak of a mysterious illness be allowed to leave with their parents.
As of Wednesday, 95 students from the school were hospitalised and were awaiting laboratory test results.
Even though health officials suspect that the girls’ inability to study is caused by elevated electrolytes, a sign that their bodies have lost fluids, more samples have been sent to Kisumu and Nairobi for further testing.
CS Machogu also stated that measures to combat the disease are already in place, and that the Kenya Medical and Research Institute (KEMRI) has dispatched a team to investigate its root cause.
Health officials in the Western region have also stated that they are taking all necessary precautions to control the disease’s spread.
However, Kakamega County Director of Medical Services Steven Wandei cautioned parents and the school before releasing any more students.
“We need to find out what is ailing our girls and discover its cause before we can allow the remaining students to go back home and mingle with the other siblings. It will be disastrous if we allow the students to go home when the disease is infectious,” Wandei said, as quoted by the Nation.
