Rescue divers in Lake Nakuru helicopter crash catch malaria and typhoid

gloria mari

October 30, 2017 9:20 AM

Divers reportedly hit by malaria and typhoid

At least five people aboard the aircraft that crashed last Saturday in Lake Nakuru have died.

Divers searching for the bodies in the murky waters of the lake have reportedly fallen ill. It is alleged that they are suffering from typhoid and malaria.

The lake is full of contaminants and is heavily polluted by sewer deluge, plastics and cloths.

Divers from the Kenya Navy, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Rescue Divers and other private firms are said to have contracted malaria.

They were rushed to a local private hospital after complaining of stomach pains and diarrhoea.

“At first we thought it was cholera because most of the divers who fell sick had the same symptoms, which included vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhoea and weakness. They were unable to work and that’s when they were taken to hospital,” the diver is quoted as saying in The Standard.

According to another diver, the Kenya Navy divers had been warned by their superiors about the health risks in the lake but are now unable to return to work after contracting typhoid.

Nakuru public health officer Samuel King’ori said he couldn’t verify the tests carried out in the private hospital but confirmed that three divers did have typhoid.

The two divers who were diagnosed with malaria were said not to have taken their anti-malarial drugs before leaving Mombasa.

The Lake Nakuru crash has raised eyebrows as to how lacking emergency preparedness is in some counties. Disaster management teams will need to be revitalized.

KWS also called for more effective measures to be carried out to prevent pollution of the county’s resources.

gloria mari