The Ministry of Health has announced strict burial protocols as part of a public alert in response to the declaration of an outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease in neighboring Uganda.
In a statement on Friday, January 31, Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni, expressed the government’s commitment to safeguarding its citizens owing to the porous nature of the Kenya-Uganda border.
PS Muthoni said that surveillance measures would be implemented at all points of entry.
“In view of this, we would like to assure the public that the Ministry of Health remains committed to protecting the health and safety of all Kenyans,” stated PS Muthoni.
“Consequently, a rapid assessment of the country’s capacity to respond to a similar outbreak is underway, shortly after which a comprehensive plan will be developed to guide countrywide preparedness and response activities for Ebola. As a precautionary measure, surveillance systems have been enhanced in all counties and points of entry.”
The Ministry of Health issued safety guidelines to citizens to be able to mitigate the deadly virus, with reported case fatality rates of up to 90%, in case of possible importation.
Strict burial protocols
While issuing burial protocols, PS Muthoni cautioned families of people who have died from EVD against touching or washing the body.Â
“The virus can easily spread to family members or healthcare providers who are not wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) while caring for someone who is ill with EVD or while handling the body of someone who has died of the disease,” the PS added.
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Muthoni noted that burial teams have been trained and will be deployed to facilitate safe burials of persons who succumb to the disease while allowing their families to mourn in an acceptable and dignified way.
According to the Ministry, the burial teams might advise against performing some rituals that would involve touching, washing, or kissing the body.
Additionally, the public is advised to avoid contact with live and dead wild animals, including meat, faeces, and body fluids, as well as unprotected sexual activities.
To avert the spread of the highly virulent and often fatal viral disease (EBV), citizens have been urged to avoid close contact with both infected people or animals and animal products.
This is because the virus can be transmitted through body fluids or by close contact with both Ebola virus-infected humans or animals and animal products.
“The disease spreads amongst people via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes), blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials such as beddings and clothing contaminated with infected fluids,” the statement adds.
Signs and symptoms of Ebola VirusÂ
Primary signs and symptoms of EBV which often begin abruptly are fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, headache, and body malaise.
Hemorrhagic manifestations (bleeding tendencies from body orifices) of the disease appear in the later stages of the disease, as it progresses.
Anyone showing symptoms of Ebola has thus been advised to immediately seek medical care at health facilities and avoid treating patients at home.
PS Muthoni issued the alert after Uganda confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the capital Kampala with the first confirmed patient dying from it on Wednesday.
The patient was a male nurse at the Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.
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Outbreak in Uganda
Since the East African country recorded its first infection of the viral disease in 2000, the new case was its ninth outbreak.
The patient had initially sought treatment at various facilities, including Mulago, as well as with a traditional healer, after developing fever-like symptoms.
“The patient experienced multi-organ failure and succumbed to the illness at Mulago National Referral Hospital on Jan. 29. Post-mortem samples confirmed the Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (strain),” the ministry said in a statement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has since announced that it has deployed an emergency medical team to help Uganda fight the deadly Ebola outbreak.
WHO in a statement on Thursday said that the personnel will provide technical and logistical support to Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
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