Two members of a family in Kitui County, which lost three people in a week to the Covid-19 pandemic, have been hospitalised with breathing complications.
One tested positive for the disease and is being treated at Nairobi Hospital amid efforts to find all relatives and neighbours who had been in contact with the family.
The other is said to have tested negative for the disease despite having similar symptoms.
The deaths in quick succession of a man, his mother and his elder sister at Kwa Vonza in Kitui have alarmed health authorities and thrown an entire village into mourning.
According to Dr Richard Muthoka, the County Chief Officer for Health, the two family members were hospitalised on Friday, before results of tests taken last week were released.
“We tested 40 people from the family and the neighborhood, who interacted with the deceased, and are yet to get results from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri. One family member has tested positive and another has similar symptoms even though he’s negative” said Dr Muthoka.
The chief officer called for strict adherence to guidelines including social distancing and wearing masks, adding more people in the area may be required to undergo tests.
Dr Muthoka said his department will not take any chances because the first death was of a person who had travelled from Mombasa County, which is experiencing a resurgence of infections.
First to die was Tom Kilonzo Ileve, a senior officer of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), who served at the customs department in Mombasa.
He fell sick soon after returning home, died hours later while undergoing treatment and was buried on October 24.
Domitila Munyoki then fell ill on October 25, just a day after her brother’s funeral and was taken to hospital.
Their mother Anne Nzisiva Ileve died last week as the family planned Munyoki’s burial, which took place on Saturday. Ms Ileve died hours after complaining of a headache, high fever and difficulty breathing.
The last two deaths, both within 12 hours and coming only two days after the KRA officer’s burial, shocked Masaani village, with the area’s leaders calling for support to the family as it prepares to bury Ms Ileve.
Kitui Rural MP Boni Mwalika and his predecessor Charles Nyamai termed the three deaths tragic and a heavy blow to the entire community.
Credit: Source link