Wednesday, September 21, 2022 – The Government of President William Ruto has put Kenyans on high alert following the outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease in neighboring Uganda.
In a statement, The Ministry of Health, through Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, cautioned Kenyans to be on high alert because Ebola is now real and close.
According to Kagwe, Kenya’s close proximity to Uganda and the flurry of activity between the two countries puts Kenyans at risk hence the need to be cautious.
Consequently, Kenyans across the 47 counties were advised to watch out for symptoms related to the deadly disease such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pains, headache, and sore throat among others.
The government also advised Kenyans to be more vigilant of these symptoms while visiting Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In view of this information, Kagwe asked health officials to be vigilant and enhance surveillance, especially at the border, activate rapid response teams to support the identification of any suspected cases and make prompt reporting.
“Screening of at-risk populations including travellers, truck drivers, bush meat handlers and health care workers should be prioritized,” read the advisory in part.
Nonetheless, the government stated that it had taken steps to address the outbreak, further asking Kenyans to remain calm.
To this effect, the Health Ministry released contacts Kenyans can use to report any symptoms witnessed in their communities.
“If you come across such a person, notify the nearest health facility or administrative officers like Assistant chiefs or call the following hotline numbers immediately:
0729471414 or 0732353535.
Uganda announced that a 24-year-old man died on September 19 after contracting the virus.
The Ebola virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
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