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Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday, WHO Representative Dr. Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo says the coming days will be crucial in preventing the spread of the Bundibugyo strain of the virus in the community, which has now claimed its first life in Kenya.
The victim, a local man who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for several years, fell ill there, where a deadly outbreak continues to spread in the east.
He flew to Nairobi via Kampala and Entebbe in Uganda on October 3, was taken straight to hospital and died in the Kenyan capital on Monday.
Authorities have since identified people who had direct contact with him through social contacts and while he was hospitalized. So far, there have been no other infections.
“This is an outbreak of imported cases, which come and go straight to hospitals, but The government is working to identify all relevant contacts as part of their response to the outbreak,” said Dr Kimambo UN News.
Contact tracing is underway
He said the contact list had been identified, including about 10 of the man’s relatives who were “very cooperative, and some even volunteered and are now in quarantine.”
Meanwhile, The 21 health workers who served him at the hospital, as well as laboratory nurses and others, have also been contacted.
Although these professionals use infection prevention and control (IPC) measures,”the plan is to ensure that they are all under quarantine and a decision has been taken on where Nairobi Hospital staff will be quarantined,” he said.
The Kenyan government is also working with the airline to contact around 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the flight from Entebbe to Kampala.
He said the Government was making “every effort” to find all possible contacts: “Because to ensure that we can contain this and not spread it into the community, it is important that all contacts are identified and quarantined.”
The agency handling this case
WHO is supporting Kenya, Congo and Uganda in contact tracing, surveillance, screening and other response measures to quickly identify potential cases and prevent further spread of the virus.
It is also working with the Africa CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to support Kenya and mobilize Member States.
Understanding Ebola
Dr Kimambo stressed that it was important for people to know how Ebola transmission, namely through contact with an infected person’s body fluids such as sweat, blood and saliva.
He highlighted the need to “maintain maximum hygiene” through regular hand washing, using hand sanitizer, and avoiding “a lot of hand-holding”, in addition to identifying symptoms and seeking medical treatment early.
“According to me One key message is don’t panic.” he said. “And the second thing is let’s take the necessary precautions and immediately. If someone feels unwell, they should go to a health facility for treatment.”
Preparedness and support
Even before Ebola cases were confirmed in Kenya, WHO and other UN agencies had supported the country’s Ebola preparedness following its emergence in Congo in May.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) monitor movement at the border, for example at children’s institutions UNICEF working on community risk management and issues around water, sanitation and hygiene.
WHO is focusing on measures such as strengthening surveillance, training case managers and conducting simulation exercises.
When asked about the risk of Ebola spreading in Kenya, Dr. Kimambo underscored the importance of quarantine so contacts can be monitored and tested quickly if they show symptoms.
“I think these next few days are very important because we know the incubation period will start between two and eight days,” he said.
“If we can make sure that we create the contact lists correctly, get all the contacts, put them into quarantine, then that will be the key to really containing and stopping the spread in the community..”
