11 Mukumu Girls Students ill and Hospitalized Days After Re-Opening
Eleven learners at Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls High School in Kenya were admitted to hospital after falling ill on Friday.
Of the eleven learners, two are being treated for malaria, while nine others complained of abdominal pain and fatigue.
The students were admitted to St Elizabeth Mukumu Mission Hospital, and their condition is being closely monitored by doctors.
The principal of the school, Sister Jane Mmbone, confirmed the incident but assured that the students were responding well to treatment.
Three students have already been discharged after their condition improved and are back in school, while the others are still being treated, and their condition is closely monitored.
This recent incident comes after the school was closed indefinitely on April 3 due to an outbreak of an illness linked to contamination of water and food, which led to the loss of three students and a teacher.
The school reopened on May 8, with Form Four pupils being the first to report, accompanied by their parents.
To ensure the safety of the students, the school management canceled all tenders for food suppliers and selected three interim suppliers who have been pre-qualified to supply food to other schools.
The Ministry of Water supplies the school with water from the Tindinyo Water Treatment Plant through the Lake Victoria North Water Works and Development Agency (LVNWWDA).
According to Mr. Ibrahim Oluoch, the manager in charge of planning and strategy at LVNWWDA, the water supply from the school’s two boreholes had stopped, and they needed to be flushed and chlorinated before the school can resume pumping water to the nine storage tanks for supply to the hostels.
Additionally, an additional borehole is being drilled at the school, costing 6 million, which will produce 16 cubic litres per hour. The water will be tested and then pumped to the storage tanks.
Sister Aqminatta Lumili, the diocesan health coordinator for Kakamega Catholic Diocese, has urged parents and learners to inform the school of any pre-existing medical conditions that could affect their health, such as diabetes and allergies, so that they can be treated in case of an emergency.
The school nurse is also available to deal with any emergencies involving students who fall ill before they are referred to nearby hospitals for treatment.
11 Mukumu Girls Students ill and Hospitalized Days After Re-Opening
