Kenya on Ebola alert after Uganda outbreak

By Agence de Presse Africaine Last updated Sep 22, 2022

APA-Nairobi Kenya’s Health ministry Wednesday issued an alert to all counties across the country following the reported Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Uganda. According to health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, the move follows an alert forwarded by the government in Kampala to Kenya in line with East African Community Health protocols over the…

APA-Nairobi (Kenya) Kenya’s Health ministry Wednesday issued an alert to all counties across the country following the reported Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Uganda.

According to health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, the move follows an alert forwarded by the government in Kampala to Kenya in line with East African Community Health protocols over the outbreak that was detected in Ngabano village of Madudu Sub County in Central Uganda.

According to Kagwe, the victim, a 24-year-old male who died on 19th September 2022, had been treated for other symptoms before developing Ebola-like symptoms and signs.

“Health officials in Uganda are currently conducting contact tracing to identify any close contacts of the deceased. Six suspicious prior deaths are currently under investigations,” added Kagwe.

As part of the interventions put in place by the Kenyan government, all county administrations have been urged to remain vigilant and enhance surveillance especially at the border, activate rapid response teams to support identification of any suspected cases and make prompt reporting, screen at risk populations including travellers, truck drivers, bush meat handlers and healthcare workers as well as sensitize the community to identify suspected cases.

They have also been urged to sensitize healthcare workers on infection, prevention and control measures, case management and sample management and to mobilize relevant stakeholders to initiate prevention, preparedness and response measures.

Kenya’s Health ministry has advised members of the public to take heightened precautions while visiting Uganda as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo and also watch out for any person presenting acute onset of fever especially if in contact with others with a history of travel from the two countries within the previous three weeks.

Other signs to look out for are vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pains, headache, sore throat, measles like rash, red eyes as well as bleeding from body openings.

Ebola is a severe and often fatal illness in humans caused by a virus transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.

Based on previous outbreaks, up to 67 percent of infected cases die.

WN/as/APA