A Rift Valley Fever outbreak has killed five people in Isiolo spreading fear and panic among residents of Sericho, Iresaboru and Korbesa areas and those in neighbouring Samburu, Wajir and Marsabit.
The five are among the six suspected cases reported in the last three weeks in Garbatulla and Merti areas.
The contagious disease is mainly spread by mosquitoes and movement of animals and causes abortion and mortality especially in cattle, sheep and goats.
Among those who have succumbed to the disease is a 30-year-old man who died at Biliqi fora makeshift camp after complaining of fever and headache late last month and his younger brother,13,who had fever and abdominal pain and who died while receiving treatment at Garbatulla Sub-County hospital.
The first person to die from the virus was a 21-year-old male from Iresaboru who passed on while being rushed to a nearby dispensary.
Early December, an elderly man with similar symptoms besides hypotension and palpitation died barely an hour after he was rushed to Iresaboru health centre.
Confirming the incident, County Health Chief Officer Ibrahim Alio said samples from two of the patients including one who was vomiting blood tested positive for the disease.
One patient admitted at the Referral Hospital, he said, was responding positively to treatment.
A response team has been deployed to the affected areas to assess the extent of the disease and recommend necessary measures.
