The Mombasa County Department of Health has issued an alert over dengue fever outbreak.

According to the County’s health Chief Officer, Dr Khadija Shikelly, although no deaths have been reported as a result of the disease, the dengue fever has affected at least 153 people in Kisauni, Jomvu, Changamwe, Nyali, Mvita and Likoni sub-counties.

“This is to notify you that there is dengue fever outbreak in Mombasa County and we, therefore, need to respond effectively and in a coordinated approach to contain the outbreak,” said Shikelly.

Kisauni has the highest number of cases at 37, followed by Mvita, 25, Changamwe 21 and Likoni 21.

Heavy rains in the region are said to have created new breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which are the vectors transmitting the disease to humans. Dengue fever is more prevalent in areas that are crowded and unhygienic.

Symptoms of the dengue fever are similar to those of malaria and include severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands or rash.

The disease, which has no vaccine, was first detected in Mombasa in 2013 by medical research experts from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) in Kilifi.

In 2014, three patients succumbed to the disease during a similar outbreak.