Chikungunya and dengue fever contained, officials says

Chikungunya and dengue fever, two painful and debilitating mosquito-borne diseases that broke out in Mombasa in December have been contained.

This is a relief to residents.

Early this week, Governor Hassan Joho had been hospitalised in a Mombasa hospital suspected to have contracted chikungunya.

However, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir said the county boss was suffering from malaria.

Officials led by health executive Hazel Koitaba and senior doctors in the county said the infectious diseases are no longer an epidemic.

Issuing a status report on the diseases of Friday, Ms Koitaba said disease surveillance unit report showed that the diseases and spread have been contained.

“We have put in place several measures that has ensured the drastic reduction of chikungunya spread. According to a report from the Ministry of Health as at January 31, 453 cases were reported out of which 32 were confirmed positive,” Mr Koitaba said.

In 2004 the disease broke out in Mombasa only to reoccur in mid-December last year.

The county has been conducting vector control.