MoH warns of upsurge in waterborne diseases during El Nino rains

To contain the situation, the Ministry has embarked on various mitigation measures including public awareness and mapping out flood-prone areas ahead of the rains.

According to projections by the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), the country will get heavy rains like those recorded in El Nino of 1997 and 2006.

To address this, Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said the ministry is working with other stakeholders to minimize the effects of the floods.

Counties are working on clearing drainage systems while identifying areas that in the past had been affected by floods.

Muthoni added that the ongoing vaccination against polio and cholera is part of the government’s plans to mitigate the heavy rains.

The PS was addressing the press in Lake Naivasha Resort after launching a workshop to upscale the Primary Health Care (PNC) networks in the counties. She said government is restructuring the health service delivery system by shifting the emphasis from curative to preventive and promotive health care approach. 

To address health challenges, the Government has initiated a structured plan between County Governments for 100,000 community health promoters.

On his part, Dr Salim Ali Hussein said that the health networks will help foster the integration of the health system and improve efficiency by providing care at the optimal level and establishing a national health procurement board for bulk purchasing of health products.