Ebola: 122 Contacts Verified, 108 In Quarantine As Tracing Continues

Published By TSM Editor For The Statesman Digital
1 hour ago

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has announced that 122 contacts traced to the first patient who tested positive for Ebola Virus have been listed and verified.

In a statement on Sunday, MoH said that of the identified contacts, 108 have been placed in quarantine and are being monitored, confirming that none have developed symptoms.

Tracing of remaining contacts is ongoing while a coordinated national response is working to contain the deadly virus.

Containment measures have also seen 293 samples have been tested from 289 alerts.

"To date, 667,675 travellers have been screened at 26 points of entry, 2,345 of them in the past 24 hours," MoH noted.

The Ministry added that five designated laboratories, among them two mobile laboratories at the Lwakhaha and Busia borders, are testing samples.

Likewise, up to 241 isolation beds are available in five hospitals in Nairobi, Eldoret and Mombasa, including up to 50 intensive care beds at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

"Samples can be referred from every county, and confirmed results are available within six to 12 hours," the Ministry added.

About 4,917 health workers have been trained in Ebola management, as the Ministry added that a surge team of 343 trained responders is on standby, including 102 who served in the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak response.

The Ministry maintained that there are no restrictions on travel, trade, transport or public gatherings, and no lockdown is in place.

"Airports, seaports and border points are operating normally, with enhanced health screening. Kenya continues to welcome visitors, investors and partners, and will keep the international community informed through regular, transparent updates," the Ministry added.

Kenya reported its first case and death on October 6, after the patient, coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), died at the Nairobi Hospital while receiving medical attention.

The government has also put flights from 10 countri under its radar as it heightens its response to the deadly Virus.

Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale said on October 7 that flights from DRC, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Central African Republic will be needed to use a designated entry point upon arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).