Kenya’s Ebola Crisis Deepens: 66 Contacts Quarantined, More Expected
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has just let us know that 66 contacts of Kenya’s first Ebola patient are now accounted for and are in quarantine at the National Police Service Hospital in Nairobi.
The government is still working hard to track down anybody who may have been in contact with that 40 year old patient before he died & Aden Duale is warning that the number of contacts is likely to go up as investigations keep rolling along.
And just to highlight the level of vigilance, Kenya is stepping up its surveillance, screening and contact tracing efforts following the first reported Ebola case.
66 Ebola Contacts Accounted for in Nairobi
Duale said that initially they knew of 57 contacts linked to that patient, but as it turned out, there were 66, & that number’s probably going to keep on rising.
“57 contacts were first identified, and – as you might expect that number’s going up, and as of this morning 66 contacts have been rounded up at our National Police Service Hospital, and that number is increasing” Duale explained.
The 66 contacts are all under close watch as health officials try to figure out who else might have been exposed to the patient.
You can bet that the government are going to keep on following up as many people as possible & tracing all the patient’s movements before he died.
Government Traces JamboJet Passengers
The Ministry of Health are also trying to track down passengers who may have travelled on the same JamboJet flight as our patient after October 2nd when he flew to Nairobi.
Aden Duale said that the airline have already given some information about 23 passengers that were on that flight and four crew members too.
However, they’re still needing more details because that same aircraft operated quite a few other flights between that time and now.
“The chairman of JamboJet has already given us 23 passengers and 4 crew members but I told him to tell us about the other flights that aircraft made between Saturday and now so we can figure out who might have come into contact with him on that flight” he said.
The idea, of course, is to help health officials find & keep an eye on anybody who may have come into contact with the patient during his travels.
Kenya Intensifies Ebola Surveillance
The government is also stepping up surveillance and screening to prevent the bug from spreading.
According to Aden Duale, the isolation & quarantine centres are up & running, and the health workers have been trained and have everything they need to handle any additional cases that might pop up.
It’s all part of Kenya’s big picture plan to stay one step ahead of this imported Ebola case.
WHO and India Provide PPE for Ebola Response
Health CS Duale said the government had got its act together when it came to mobilising all sorts of infection prevention supplies – and crucially – personal protective equipment (PPE) for the poor blokes and women on the front lines.
He gave credit to the World Health Organisation and the Indian Government for lending a helping hand.
“Ok, so we’ve mobilised these infection prevention commodities and Personal Protective Equipment. Big thanks to our mates at the WHO and the government of India for the 1,000 sets of PPE they sent our way and 6,000 sets that the Indian government threw our way along with all sorts of other supplies we’re in the process of getting together,” he said in a statement.
The stuff is meant to help out the frontline workers so they can deal with suspected Ebola cases without getting themselves infected.
Duale Dismisses Suspected Ebola Case in Wajir
The Health CS was also quick to shoot down reports of a suspected Ebola case in Wajir.
According to Duale , the authorities managed to work out the travel history of Kenya’s first Ebola patient before he even set foot in the country, giving them a clear line of inquiry when it came to investigating potential contacts and tracking down people who might have been exposed.
The government reckons this was an imported case – and that’s because it can be traced back to the patient’s travel history.
Ebola Patient Travelled More Than 3,000 Kilometres
Apparently the patient got on a plane at one end of the continent and ended up 3,000 kilometers further on – passing through a load of different places along the way before finally ending up in Kenya.
“ This patient flew from Buri to Kisangani, and then to Beni from there then he drove to Kinshasa, then back to Kampala where he stayed overnight. He actually bought his ticket on the 2nd and sloped off from Kampala on the third so we are classing it as an imported case because we can actually see where he came from and what he did “ Duale explained.
All this backtracking is meant to be helpful in tracking down all the other people who might have had contact with the patient along the way.
Government Reassures Kenyans Over Ebola
Even though they had confirmed the country’s first reported Ebola death, the government is still trying to reassure Kenyans and the rest of the world – that the country is still a safe bet.
The authorities are still hard at it with the contact tracing and surveillance and they’re keeping a close eye on people who might have been in contact with the patient.
The government is also relying on the health types and our international mates to help us get ready in case this thing comes back in a bigger way.
US Issues Travel Advisory After Ebola Death
The Health CS had a few things to say the day after the US government told its citizens to be a bit more careful while living or visiting Kenya.
Now with all this international attention coming our way, the focus is firmly on tracking all the contacts doing the quarantine and surveillance thing – and making darn sure we’re all prepared in case more cases turn up.
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Kenya’s Ebola Crisis Deepens: 66 Contacts Quarantined, More Expected
