Health PS Mary Muthoni making an address during a meeting on lead exposure mitigation strategies on Wednesday, October 23, 2024/FILEKenya has heightened surveillance across all counties and border points following the confirmation of an Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Uganda.
Uganda's health ministry on Thursday declared an Ebola outbreak after a 32-year-old male nurse working at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala succumbed to the Sudan Ebola virus Wednesday.
It marked the eighth outbreak of the deadly disease in the country, prompting the World Health Organization to deploy an emergency medical team to help the country fight the outbreak.
"Consequently, a rapid assessment of the country's capacity to respond to a similar outbreak is underway, shortly after which a comprehensive plan will be developed to guide countrywide preparedness and response activities for Ebola," Kenya's Health PS Mary Muthoni said.
"As a precautionary measure, surveillance systems have been enhanced in all counties and points of entry," she added.
Ebola virus disease (EBV) is a highly virulent and often fatal viral disease, with reported case fatality rates of up to 90 per cent.
Transmission can occur following close contact with both Ebola virus-infected humans or animals and animal products.
The disease spreads amongst people via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes), blood, secretions, organs, or other body fluids of infected people.
Contact with surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing contaminated with infected fluids can also result in infection.
Signs and symptoms of Ebola are characterised by fever, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and body malaise.
"Hemorrhagic manifestations (bleeding tendencies from body orifices) of the disease appear in later stages of the disease, as it progresses," PS Muthoni added.
The PS issued an advisory on what to do to avert transmission and in case of a suspected positive case, how to handle the patient and control further transmission.
She said any suspected case can also be reported through the hotline numbers 719, 0729-471 414, or 0732-353535.
"The Ministry encourages the public to seek accurate information from qualified health care workers, community health promoters, or from the Ministry of Health through its website, www.health.go.ke," the PS said.
Other guidelines are as listed below:
Do not treat patients at home. If you or someone in your family or community has symptoms of EVD, seek immediate medical assistance from health facilities with qualified health professionals for safe and appropriate care.
• Once you are at a hospital or treatment centre, health professionals and support personnel will provide you with whatever help is needed for your recovery or that of your loved ones.
• Seeking care early when you are sick will improve your chance of survival and limit the risk that you will transmit the disease to your loved ones.
• People who have died from EVD should receive safe and dignified burial. It is very important to not touch or wash the body of anyone who has died with symptoms suggestive of EVD.
• Burial teams have been trained and will be deployed to facilitate safe burials of persons who succumb to the didiseasehile allowing you to mourn in an acceptable and dignified way. The burial teams might advise that you not perform some rituals that would involve touching, washing or kissing the body. Make sure to follow and apply the advice given by your recommended health measures and advisories to protect yourself and your loved ones from this disease.
• To stop transmission, people who had close contact with an EVD patient will be identified as contacts by public health authorities. They will have their health monitored for 21 days. This allows for early detection of the disease and early access to care in the event they develop symptoms, which improves their chance of survival and reduces the risk of transmission to others.
• Additionally, you are advised to avoid contact with live and dead wild animals, including meat, faeces and body fluids, as well as unprotected sexual activities.
"We strongly advise the general public to follow these public health measures and seek medical attention in the nearest public health facility if experiencing any Ebola like symptoms. Let us continue working together to combat disease outbreaks and safeguard the health of our communities," PS Muthoni said.
