NAIROBI: Kenya’s Ministry of Health said on Friday it has intensified surveillance at all entry points across the country following an outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease in neighbouring Uganda, reported Xinhua.
“As a precautionary measure, surveillance systems have been enhanced in all counties and points of entry,“ Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Mary Muthoni, said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on Friday evening.
Muthoni said 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 to Ebola.
She encouraged the public to seek accurate information from qualified healthcare workers, community health promoters or the Ministry of Health through its website.
The statement came after the Ugandan Ministry of Health on Thursday declared an Ebola outbreak after a 32-year-old male nurse succumbed to Sudan Ebola virus Wednesday, marking the eighth outbreak of the deadly disease in the East African country.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it is “working closely with Ugandan health authorities to revitalise a robust surveillance and case management system, community mobilisation, and risk communication in response to the outbreak”.
The Ebola virus is highly contagious and causes various symptoms. Signs and symptoms of Ebola are characterised by fever, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and body malaise.
According to the WHO, the fatality rate for those who contract Ebola ranges from 50 per cent to 89 per cent, depending on the viral subtypes.
