You Give Me Fever

Panic has gripped Kenya after 82 people have died in the past several weeks of Rift Valley Fever, with the disease spreading to densely populated areas. Medical officials say 148 people have died since the outbreak began in December. Infections have now been confirmed near the capital of Nairobi.

The fever is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and consuming infected animal products. The last epidemic in Kenya was reported during the El Nino floods in 1998. An additional 380 people have been infected with the fever, said government spokesman Alfred Mutua. The government has tried to allay fears that the disease has spread to the capital after a death was reported at Kenyatta National Hospital. "The patient was admitted here last week from Kerugoya district hospital in central Kenya and was not from Nairobi," hospital director Jotham Micheni told reporters.

Many people having been shying away from eating or buying meat for fear of contracting the disease. Some butchers now display health certificates to show that their meat is not infected. The incubation period of the disease ranges from between two to six days and most patients die after developing haemorrhagic fever.

Note to readers: the Daily Dude, who left Kenya prior to Christmas, is now safely past the incubation period for the deadly disease.