By GPC News Desk
The Ministry of Health has stepped up preparations to contain potential disease outbreaks linked to the expected El Niño rains.
Authorities warned that heightened surveillance is needed as the country continues to monitor Ebola cases and contacts.
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Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni, who chairs the Ebola Taskforce Committee, called for coordinated monitoring of Ebola and weather-related health risks, saying the onset of rains could present additional public health challenges.
The ministry said meteorological reports had indicated that 46 counties could be affected by the expected rains, while forecasts pointed to rainfall in some parts of the country over the next seven days.
Muthoni recommended integrating Ebola surveillance reports with preparations for the anticipated rains to ensure health authorities respond promptly to emerging threats.
The ministry said the country’s current weather conditions, including intense heat, were also being assessed alongside forecasts and potential disease risks.
Nine Ebola contacts traced outside Kenya
Kenya is continuing to follow up on nine people who left the country after being identified as contacts of the first reported Ebola case.
According to the daily incident report presented to the taskforce, the nine contacts have been traced to Uganda, Dubai, Thailand, Italy and Tanzania.
The Ministry of Health said it had notified health authorities in the affected destinations because the individuals shared a flight with the index patient while travelling from Uganda.
The ministry is also calling for regular regional surveillance meetings to assess preparedness among neighbouring countries, particularly as the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains a concern.
The DRC, Uganda and Nigeria remain under close monitoring as Kenya continues its response to the Ebola threat.
The latest situation report listed all 135 contacts as having been identified and traced. Of these, 118 remain in quarantine, while eight patients who tested positive for the Ebola virus are under close medical surveillance.
No new case was reported in the 24 hours covered by the report.
The ministry has also dismissed claims of community transmission, maintaining that all eight confirmed cases had contact with the index patient, who died.
Four of the patients receiving treatment are relatives of the first imported case, while the other four are healthcare workers.
Protective equipment
Health Director-General Dr Patrick Amoth said the ministry had prioritised the protection of healthcare workers involved in the Ebola response by distributing personal protective equipment (PPE).
So far, 37 health facilities across the counties have received the protective supplies.
The ministry said protecting frontline health workers remained central to containing the outbreak and preventing further infections among those providing care.
Muthoni called for heightened surveillance across the country, warning that the Ebola outbreak and the expected rains required coordinated preparedness by health authorities.
She recommended combining the two sets of situation reports to give officials a clearer picture of the risks and support timely interventions as the rainy season approaches.
The ministry is continuing to monitor Ebola contacts, coordinate with other countries and strengthen preparedness in health facilities as it seeks to prevent further infections and respond to possible weather-related disease outbreaks.
