- The outbreak in Nanyuki was the largest ever reported by the military worldwide
- Cryptosporidiosis is often spread through contaminated water and food and in swimming pools
Dozens of British army personnel stationed in Kenya fell ill in an unprecedented outbreak of diarrhea.
Between February and April 2022, one hundred and seventy-two soldiers fell ill at Nanyuki Barracks – almost a fifth of the 1,200 troops deployed there at the time.
Some continued to struggle with their illness for more than a week.
Military doctors believe it is the first outbreak of cryptosporidium in the history of the British military.
Cryptosporidium, which can cause vomiting, stomach pain and fever, can survive in water for up to a week.
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The outbreak is the largest ever reported by the military worldwide. Health officials were initially baffled about the cause of the outbreak. But investigations found that most cases could be traced to contaminated fresh water collected from rivers where the trainees swam in Nanyuki. Pictured: British Army soldiers during a military exercise at ol-Daiga ranch, Nanyuki, Kenya in 2018
Outbreaks are usually traced to swimming pools.
The chlorine-resistant parasite is spread through infected feces that end up in the mouth, for example while swimming. Traces of dried feces can easily wash off the anus of an infected person.
Officials were initially baffled about the cause of the diarrhea outbreak in Nanyuki, about 193 kilometers north of Nairobi.
Fecal samples from sick soldiers who tested positive for cryptosporidium were repatriated.
Army chiefs also sent samples from water tankers and rivers back to British laboratories for in-depth testing.
Research showed that the water in which soldiers swam was contaminated. Soldiers also reported raw sewage entering the same bodies of water they used recreationally.
Although the cluster of cases in rural Kenya occurred almost two years ago, details only emerged this week.
Writing in the diary, Open Forum Infectious DiseasesResearchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Royal Center for Defense Medicine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital said all cases were isolated when they collected outbreak data.
Military personnel from the US, Germany and France have previously been affected ‘in small numbers’ by outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis.
But no previous reports have been recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A handful of cases had also eaten at local restaurants before symptoms started, while other samples were linked to poultry eaten during a “survival exercise,” they said.
For most people, cryptosporidiosis – the technical name for the infection – is mild.
In October, UKHSA officials revealed that 2,411 cases of the stomach flu had been recorded across Britain, with a peak of 450 weekly reports by the end of September – three times the number normally expected.
It usually goes away on its own, without any treatment, within a few days or weeks.
However, it can be more serious for vulnerable people, such as those with weakened immune systems and the elderly or patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Due to its highly contagious nature, people with symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting are told not to stay at work or school until they have been free of these symptoms for at least 48 hours.
In October, officials from Britain’s Health Security Agency said Britain was being hit by an “unprecedented” outbreak of the parasite.
Officials investigating the unusual cluster of cryptosporidium cases believed it could be linked to holidays abroad as dozens of affected Britons had traveled to Spain and other Mediterranean countries.