NAIROBI, Kenya- President William Ruto has ordered the National Security Council Committee to assess Kenya’s Ebola response after the death of a patient whose infection was confirmed as the country’s first imported case.
The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola after arriving in Kenya.
He later died while receiving treatment in Nairobi.
In a statement, State House said the committee had met and recommended measures to prevent further transmission.
Contact tracing is under way, with eight family members of the deceased quarantined and monitored daily.
Twenty-one healthcare workers who treated him have also been placed under quarantine.
Authorities have also contacted 27 passengers who may have been exposed to the patient during the flight into Kenya.
The government said the deceased was buried under public health protocols.
No other positive cases reported
Kenya had screened 652,584 travellers and tested 267 samples as of October 6, the statement said.
The samples were processed at five laboratories, including the National Virology Reference Laboratory and KEMRI facilities in Nairobi and Kisumu, as well as mobile laboratories at the Busia and Lwakhakha border points.
Only the deceased patient had tested positive, according to the government. No additional positive cases had been detected as of Tuesday.
The World Health Organization said Kenya’s screening and testing figures were part of measures to contain the imported case.
The government said surveillance and rapid response teams had been deployed, building on systems established since the regional outbreak began in May.
It also said 4,971 healthcare workers had received training in Ebola prevention, detection and management.
Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, National Police Hospital and The Nairobi Hospital have been designated to manage Ebola cases, alongside county isolation centres.
The government said their capacity would be expanded if needed.
Public urged to watch for symptoms
Ruto’s office urged Kenyans to remain calm, practise hand hygiene and avoid contact with people showing symptoms associated with Ebola, including fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and unexplained bleeding.
Anyone experiencing symptoms, particularly after possible exposure to a suspected or confirmed case, should avoid close contact with others and seek advice from a recognised health facility, the statement said.
The Ministry of Health is expected to issue further guidance for individuals and institutions as the response continues.
WHO says Bundibugyo Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated materials.
