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Dadaab Refugee camp in Garissa County, Kenya, hosts nearly 340,000 refugees in five subcamps (Dagahaley, Hagadera, Ifo, Ifo2, and Kambioos) (1). On November 18 and 19, 2015, during an ongoing national cholera outbreak (2), two camp residents were evaluated for acute watery diarrhea (three or more stools in ≤24 hours); Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 serotype Ogawa was isolated from stool specimens collected from both patients. Within 1 week of the report of index cases, an additional 45 cases of acute watery diarrhea were reported. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and their health-sector partners coordinated the cholera response, community outreach and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities; Médecins Sans Frontiéres and the International Rescue Committee were involved in management of cholera treatment centers; CDC performed laboratory confirmation of cases and undertook GIS mapping and postoutbreak response assessment; and the Garissa County Government and the Kenya Ministry of Health conducted a case-control study. To prevent future cholera outbreaks, improvements to WASH and enhanced disease surveillance systems in Dadaab camp and the surrounding area are needed.

Globally, >80% of diabetes-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. In 2014, the International Diabetes Federation ranked Kenya 31st in Africa in terms of diabetes with an estimated prevalence of 460 cases per 10,000 population. This study characterizes the prevalence and associated co-morbidities of diabetes in five rural and semi-urban counties in Kenya. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional review of diabetes registry data in five selected rural and semi-urban hospitals between 2010 and 2015. Patients with clinical or laboratory diagnosis of diabetes were included in the study. Demographic and epidemiologic data were abstracted, entered into MS-Excel 2007, and descriptive and correlation statistics were calculated using Epi-Info 7. We identified 1548 cases (59% female) across the 5 sites, with a mean age of 58 ± 13.5 years. We calculated diabetes prevalence measures of 310, 30, 20, and 4 per 10,000 in Isiolo, Othaya, Mukurweini, Thika, and Meru, respectively. Type 2 diabetes comprised 98% of cases from Othaya and Mukurweini, 96% from both Isiolo and Meru counties, and 94% from Thika. The most common co-morbidity was hypertension, with 80% affected from Othaya and Mukurweini, 52% in Thika, and 34% in Isiolo County. The correlation between age, gender, and presence of a co-morbidity and diabetes varied across counties. Diabetes and its complications are prevalent in rural and semi-urban areas of Kenya and women seem to be more affected by the disease, indicating an increasing population who are at risk for type 2 diabetes and associated complications.