The County Government of Trans Nzoia has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus which has been reported in the neighbouring Uganda state.
Governor George Natembeya has disclosed that his administration has reactivated rapid response teams at county and sub-county levels and mapped illegal crossing points to minimize cross-border movements.
He further revealed that surveillance at border points has been enhanced, contingency planning for logistics and supplies made and community sensitization to help identify those suspected to have contracted the virus is ongoing.
Stakeholders have also been mobilized and trained on prevention, preparedness and rapid response measures to avert the spread of the deadly virus.
Ebola symptoms
Symptoms of the disease include fever, tiredness, joint and muscle pains, headache, sore throat, cough, vomiting, diarrhoea, body rash, unexplained bruising, internal and external bleeding and weight loss.
The governor however assured residents of the county’s preparedness even as he called on the general public to report persons with the said symptoms to the nearest health facility so that such cases can be handled in good time.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health on Thursday reported six new cases of Ebola, raising the total number of confirmed cases to seven.
On Tuesday, the country confirmed the first fatality from the disease after a 24-year-old man died in Mubende District, central Uganda, and was confirmed to have been infected with the virus.
“As of today, we have seven confirmed cases – one confirmed Ebola death and seven probable [Ebola] deaths. We have listed 43 contacts [of the victims] and we are doing contact tracing,” said Dr Henry Kyobe, the Ebola Incident Commander.
Screening
Following the outbreak, Kenya’s Ministry of Health urged all counties to screen all truck drivers, bush meat handlers, health care workers and travellers for the Ebola virus, after Uganda reported an outbreak of the disease.
In a statement on Wednesday, counties were also been urged to sensitise the community and the health care workers to be able to identify cases of Ebola infection, and also sensitise all stakeholders on prevention measures, and case and sample management.
“Mobilise all the relevant stakeholders to initiate prevention, preparedness and response measures,” Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said.
