Three people have been admitted to Kakamega hospital after drinking concentrated sanitizer. The trio thought its a medicine to be administered.
Speaking exclusively to Kenyan Bulletin, a close friend and a family member(who asked to remain anonymous) said that they were given bottles of alcohol sanitizers but could not understand the directions.
Mr Elias Onoka, Mr Chris Emonyi and Crisantus Musonye alleged to have drunk the Sanitizers after failed to understand its usage. They thought it was a drug to prevent them from contracting coronavirus.
Severity
The complete clinical picture with regard to COVID-19 is not fully known. Reported illnesses have ranged from very mild (including some with no reported symptoms) to severe, including illness resulting in death. While information so far suggests that most COVID-19 illness is mild, a report external icon out of China suggests serious illness occurs in 16% of cases. Older people and people of all ages with severe chronic medical conditions — like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, for example — seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.
Effects of Drinking Sanitizers
According to Dr. Spiller HA of Pediatr Emer Care-California, USA, drinking the sanitizers can lower one’s blood sugar. In extreme, untreated situations, that can lead to coma and seizures.
Dr. Spiller also informed Kenyan Bulletin via mail that the act makes patients uncontrollably drunk. That doesn’t just mean woozy; it means a slow heart rate and breathing.
A primary reason why hand sanitizer is so dangerous is that it contains a significant amount of alcohol. According to Newsweek, the gel contains approximately 60-65% ethanol, and consuming a 240ml bottle is the equivalent of taking five shots of hard alcohol.
Dr. Gaylord Lopez, the director of the Georgia Poison Control Center warned that with this concentration, it can only take a few squirts to cause alcohol poisoning in young children.
CNN illustrated this with the story of six-year-old Nhaijah Russell, who was hospitalized after drinking about four squirts of strawberry hand sanitizer at school. Her blood alcohol content was .179, twice what is considered legally drunk in an adult. Ethanol poisoning can lead to blindness, vomiting, liver damage, hypothermia, coma, and even death.
Corona In Kenya
Yesterday after Kenyanbulletin.com reporting, the Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe confirmed that Kilifi County Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi has indeed the novel coronavirus disease.
The Health CS said those who came into contact with Mr. Saburi, who defied an order to self-quarantine, are now in self-isolation.
Mr. Saburi sparked anger after it emerged that he refused to self-quarantine as directed by the government after jetting back into the country from Germany.
The Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Health on Sunday, March 22, confirmed 8 more cases of Coronavirus in Kenya, bringing the total number of those who have tested positive to 15.
Addressing members of the press outside President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Harambee House office, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe announced that out of the 8 new patients, 5 were Kenyans, 2 were French citizens and 1 was a Mexican.
This is coming at a time the Government has insisted that sanitizers are only for external use(Handwash). The Ministry maintained that anybody who has the symptoms should immediately seek medical advice and self-quarantine. Anybody that will not self-quarantine despite possing the symptoms be reported to the police.
