The Kenyan government has issued an alert following a cholera outbreak in various parts of the country, which has claimed 25 lives, with 551 others having been treated for the disease.

Public Health ministry director Shariff Shanaaz has called on people to observe basic hygiene such as washing hands before and after eating and visiting the toilet to avoid contracting the highly contagious disease.

"Due to the acute water supply being experienced in various parts of the country, sporadic cholera outbreaks are likely to occur. It is, therefore, important for people to observe basic hygiene measures to avoid contracting the killer disease," Dr Shanaaz said.

According to the Daily Nation newspaper, the World Health Organization has ranked Kenya among countries facing an acute health crisis following the outbreak.

The outbreak has affected eight districts in Nyanza, Rift Valley and North Eastern provinces. The waterborne disease is transmitted mainly through drinking contaminated water and unsanitary conditions.

The country's top physician cited poor personal hygiene and drinking of contaminated water as the main causes of the disease and appealed to the public to observe proper hygiene and seek medical care immediately they develop the symptoms.

In February alone, 369 cholera cases were reported, resulting in 16 deaths. Dr Shanaaz said following the outbreak, public health officials had stepped up awareness campaigns in affected areas, adding that supplies of chlorine powder and tablets to treat drinking water had been sent out.

In Nandi South District, Rift Valley province, use of contaminated water has been blamed for the outbreak, which has claimed the lives of three people.

Rift Valley provincial public health officer Isaac Ruto said many families in areas where the outbreak was reported did not have pit latrines at their homes, adding that they relieved themselves in forests.

In Nyanza, the situation is not as bad as it has been portrayed, the provincial medical officer, Dr. Jackson Kioko, has said. He dismissed reports that the province was badly hit by the disease, with about 15 deaths reported in the province last month.

He said the 365 cases reported for the province dated back to last year, adding that only five suspected cases of cholera had been reported in the region since the beginning of the week.

Cholera is a waterborne disease and causes serious diarrhea and vomiting. The disease can be fatal if it is not treated within 24 hours.

Spread of the disease can be prevented by avoiding contaminated drinking water, and practicing proper hand washing before touching food. Southern Sudan also reported an increase in cholera cases recently.

(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2009)