Kenya’s Ebola cases test preparedness beyond Nairobi

Key points

• Kenya confirmed two linked cases of Bundibugyo virus disease in Nairobi, and the first patient died on October 5.
• A suspected Ebola case in Wajir tested negative, but it raised questions about preparedness far from the capital.
• Wajir county set up an isolation centre and rapid response team, but gave no details on capacity, trained staff or budget.

Kenya's response to an imported Ebola case showed it can mobilise a national effort in Nairobi, but a suspected case in the northeastern county of Wajir tested the country's ability to protect communities far from major hospitals, laboratories and transport hubs. The Wajir sample tested negative, county officials said, easing fears of wider transmission.

The suspected case involved a 20-year-old man who travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda and reached his home in Wajir on September 20. He was assessed at Habaswein Subcounty Hospital in Wajir South after arriving with a severe febrile illness, and was to remain under observation while receiving care.

National outbreak and response

Kenya's national response intensified after an Ebola case was linked to a Kenyan travelling from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda. The patient arrived in Nairobi on October 3, was diagnosed with Bundibugyo virus of the disease and died on October 5, according to the World Health Organization. Kenya notified the WHO on October 6.

On October 14, Kenya confirmed a second case of Bundibugyo virus disease in a 39-year-old man who was a close family member of the first patient. He was already in quarantine and under daily monitoring when he developed symptoms on October 13. The Ministry of Health said the two cases were linked and there was no evidence of transmission in the wider community.

No health worker in this country should be asked to attend to a suspected Ebola case without the right protective equipment.

— Dr Mary Muthoni, Kenya's principal secretary for public health and professional standards

Wajir's preparedness measures

Garad Saney Mohamed, communications director for Wajir county, told Al Jazeera the county had established an isolation centre in Wajir town and formed a rapid response team. He said the county was also using radio campaigns, community health promoters, school health programmes and posters to raise awareness about Ebola, and that a preparedness plan and budget had been put in place.

However, the county did not provide details on the isolation centre's capacity, the number of health workers trained specifically in Ebola response or the budget allocated. Wajir lies 110km (70 miles) from Somalia, and the movement of people and goods across the border makes surveillance and public communication particularly important.