Kenya traces 128 of 130 Ebola contacts and screens 652,000 travellers
Three health workers and a relative of the first patient tested positive while in quarantine, and Africa CDC is urging tighter border surveillance.
By
Joseph Mwangi
In brief
- Four new Ebola cases lift Kenya’s total to seven, including one death.
- All four were already in quarantine when fever appeared.
- Kenya says 128 of 130 identified contacts are traced and isolated.
- Africa CDC urges stronger cross-border surveillance and information sharing.
Africa CDC has reaffirmed its support for Kenya after the country confirmed four more Ebola infections on Saturday, bringing its national total to seven.
Four infections found inside quarantine
Kenya’s Ministry of Health said the four new patients were identified among people who were already isolated following contact with the first case. Per FTL Somalia, which draws on the ministry’s press release, three of them are health workers who looked after the first patient, while the fourth is a male relative, a close family member of the man who died. The total of seven counts that death as well.
The health workers, a woman and two men aged 29, 35 and 32, looked after the patient on October 3 and 4. Quarantine began for them on October 9, after a fever developed. The relative has been quarantined since October 6. Both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the KEMRI laboratory returned positive results on the samples.
From Congo to Nairobi
Confirmation of the first case came on October 6. The patient, a Kenyan national, had spent seven years living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He went by road to Uganda, spent one night there, then took a flight to Nairobi on October 3. Two days afterwards he was dead.
Congolese health authorities say the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak has neither an approved vaccine nor a specific treatment. The outbreak in the DRC, declared in May, has surpassed 9,000 confirmed cases and 4,500 deaths across eight provinces.
What Kenya has put in place
The search continues for the two contacts who have not yet been located. The ministry says it has found no evidence of community transmission. Nearly 5,000 health workers have received training. The ministry adds that the country stays open, and that travel, trade and public gatherings face no restrictions.
Kenya has not previously reported an Ebola case. Earlier coverage on this site followed the first patient’s journey in more detail.
Africa CDC’s message
In a statement issued late Saturday, Africa CDC said Kenya’s early identification shows the role of contact tracing, surveillance and rapid isolation. It commended the government for its leadership, its prompt public health action and its open communication. The agency added: « Africa CDC stands firmly alongside the government and people of Kenya, healthcare workers and all those affected by this outbreak ».
- Cross-border surveillance, information exchange, early detection and joint action should be reinforced by countries and partners alike.
- Communities should stay vigilant, follow national health guidance and report symptoms promptly.
According to the agency, Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with blood or other body fluids from an infected person, or via contaminated materials. Its director general, Jean Kaseya, has said Africa CDC is working with Kenyan and Ugandan authorities on coordination across the border.
Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, has said several times that no outbreak exists in the country and that the danger to the wider population is still low.
Photo: DΛVΞ GΛRCIΛ / Pexels
