SPORTS · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Kenya Prepares for Potential Health Risks Amid Anticipated El Niño Season
WHY IT MATTERS
Kenya's preparedness efforts aim to mitigate the risk of water-borne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery, and ensure continuity of essential health services during the rainy season.
What happened
Kenya's Ministry of Health has activated a contingency plan to prepare for potential health risks linked to the anticipated 2026/2027 El Niño season. The plan brings together national and county governments, emergency agencies, humanitarian organisations, and development partners to guide preparedness and response to heavy rainfall and flooding.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is providing technical support, focusing on areas such as disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, and risk communication.
The plan is informed by Kenya's experience with widespread flooding during the March-May 2026 long rains, which affected 27 counties, claimed 122 lives, and displaced 42,259 people.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Preparing Kenya’s Health System for Potential El Niño-Related Flooding
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