NAIROBI — Kenya has screened more than 140,000 travelers for Ebola and recorded no confirmed cases, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told Parliament, as the country continues to strengthen its public health emergency preparedness.
During a joint inspection visit on August 4 with the United States Chargé d’Affaires to Kenya, Susan M. Burns, Duale toured the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI) and the Infectious Diseases Unit at Kenyatta National Hospital, according to a Ministry of Health statement.
KNPHI’s mobile laboratories have processed 173 Ebola samples, all of which tested negative, while Kenyatta National Hospital’s eight-bed Infectious Diseases Unit has managed 58 suspected cases, also all negative, the ministry said. The unit is supported by 38 healthcare workers trained in managing highly infectious diseases.
The World Health Organization has delivered at least 1,000 Ebola personal protective equipment kits, positioned in high-risk areas, as Kenya works with the WHO, Africa CDC, IGAD, the East African Community and the U.S. CDC to strengthen surveillance and laboratory capacity, according to The Eastleigh Voice.
Duale said the government is also progressing plans for a 200-bed National Infectious Diseases Centre that would integrate diagnosis, treatment, isolation, surveillance, research and training, according to The Standard.
Daily Nation has separately reported questions over testing protocols, including concerns about individuals declared Ebola-free before completing the standard 21-day monitoring window — an issue health officials have not yet fully addressed publicly.
