Kenya health authorities issue alert over cholera in capital

Nairobi - A Kenyan health official says the government has issued an alert over a cholera outbreak in the capital after five cases of the disease were confirmed and three other suspected cases were being investigated.

Nairobi County Health Executive Bernard Muia said on Thursday the disease came from travellers from the town of Vihiga in western Kenya who were in Nairobi for a wedding.

Cholera is a fast-developing, highly contagious, water-borne illness that can cause diarrhea so severe that victims can die of dehydration in hours if they don't get treatment. The infection spreads in areas without clean drinking water and with poor sanitation.

Nairobi's county government has been criticized over sanitation, which is among the key issues raised against Governor Evans Kidero as he seeks re-election.