This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On September 28, 2019, the Ministry of Health was notified by the administration of the Starehe Girls Centre of students with an unusual cough. The initial 12 girls were complaining of a cough, sneezing, and throat soreness.
Head of Public Communications, Josephine Mbeo, stated that in response to the report, the ministry immediately dispatched a team of experts to the school to investigate and assess the situation.
‘On examination, the girls were found to be in stable condition. No teaching staff nor support staff in the school were affected, but having an infectious respiratory disease as a possible cause, the team recommended that the initial cases be managed in isolation.’
As of October 2, 2019, the number of affected girls had risen to 68. In light of the exclusion of an infectious cause, the absence of physical causes of illness, and the rapidly increasing number of affected students, the team of experts recommended immediate psychological assessment of the girls.
Following a crisis meeting between education ministry officials and the school management on October 3, 2019, Forms 1, 2, and 3 students were sent home to remove them from the environment where the outbreak began.
Victoria Miguda, the school's communication manager, stated that the decision was taken in consultation with MoE/MoH officials and the Board of Management to allow the girls to go home and accelerate their individual recuperation from what has been established to be a common flu.
