Eregi Girls High School students sent home amid mysterious disease outbreak

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has directed that students from Eregi Girls High School who wish to be treated at home following the outbreak of a mysterious illness be allowed to leave with their parents.

Even as health officials suspect that the condition that has rendered the girls unable to study is due to elevated electrolytes, a sign that their bodies have lost fluids, more samples have been taken to Kisumu and Nairobi for further tests.

CS Machogu also stated that measures are already in place to tackle the disease, adding that the Kenya Medical and Research Institute (KEMRI) has since dispatched a team to investigate its root cause.

Health officials in the Western region have also said that they are taking all necessary measures to manage the spread of the disease.

However, Kakamega County Director of Medical Services Steven Wandei urged parents and the school to exercise caution before releasing any more students.

"We need to find out what is ailing our girls and discover its cause before we can allow the remaining students to go back home and mingle with the other siblings. It will be disastrous if we allow the students to go home when the disease is infectious,” Wandei said, as quoted by the Nation.