Kenyan Health Secretary Aden Duale
Nairobi is among a list of 22 countries which have been classified by the Ministry of health as at risk of a possible Ebola outbreak as regional health authorities intensify surveillance following a rise in infections in neighbouring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to Kenyans reported.
The government, through the Ministry of health, has been forced to heighten surveillance after neighbouring Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases, bringing the country’s total number of infections to five amid growing fears of cross-border transmission across East Africa.
In its latest disease assessment, the Ministry of Health classified the 22 counties into four risk tiers including very high risk, high risk, medium risk and low risk as part of efforts to strengthen preparedness and response systems.
Among the counties listed as high risk are Nairobi, Mombasa, Uasin Gishu, Busia, Kisumu, Bungoma, Siaya, Trans Nzoia and West Pokot due to their high population movement and proximity to border points.
Other counties flagged under elevated risk categories include Vihiga, Kakamega, Nakuru, Kericho, Nandi, Kiambu, Machakos, Makueni, Kilifi, Turkana and Isiolo.
The heightened alert follows renewed warnings from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which raised the national threat level in the DRC to “very high” and the regional risk level to “high” following a surge in infections linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the outbreak in the DRC could be significantly larger than currently documented.
“So far, 82 cases have been confirmed in DRC with seven confirmed deaths, but we know the epidemic in DRC is much larger,” Tedros said.
Stats as at Sunday, May 22, indicated 177 suspected deaths have already been reported in the DRC as fears grow over the rapid spread of the disease that has previously claimed thousands of lives in the central African nation.
It is worth noting that despite the escalating regional threat, the WHO maintained that the global risk level remains low.
To help fight the spread, WHO has deployed international emergency response teams and released an additional $3.9 million (about Ksh503 million) in contingency funding to support outbreak containment efforts.
“In addition to our national staff, we have deployed international staff and released $3.9 million for contingency emergency response,” he said.
Further, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has also moved to coordinate a continental response aimed at preventing further spread of the virus across borders.
Health experts have raised concern over the Bundibugyo strain currently circulating in the region, noting that, unlike the more common Zaire strain, it has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
However, scientists are reportedly developing a new vaccine candidate that could enter clinical trials within the next three months as global health authorities race to identify medical interventions capable of containing the outbreak.