Kenya: Kenya has reported a second Ebola death, with the World Health Organization (WHO) saying the patient is a relative of the first confirmed case and was identified and placed in quarantine before developing symptoms.
Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, WHO representative to Kenya, said on 15 October that the patient developed symptoms on 13 October while in quarantine and later tested positive. The Kenyan government had announced the second case a day earlier.
“So this case is a relative of the first patient. And this patient was identified as a contact and was put into quarantine. And on the 13th [October], that's when the patient developed symptoms. So when they're in quarantine, they're monitored on a daily basis. And he was tested and found to be positive,” Kimambo said.
She said the patient was receiving treatment and stressed that the response measures were in place.
“The critical thing was to do the contact listing and to ensure that all of those who are identified are under quarantine. So this has been done,” she said.
The Ministry of Health has reported the death of a 65-year-old woman who was receiving care for Bundibugyo Ebola in a social media post. The ministry extended its condolences to her family, friends, and community.
The Ministry of Health mourns the death of a 65-year-old woman who was receiving care for Bundibugyo Ebola and extends heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and community. Seven patients continue to receive care. All nine cases remain within one cluster, with no evidence of community spread.
Seven patients continue to receive care. All nine cases remain within a single cluster, with no evidence of community spread, according to the ministry.
Kimambo said WHO teams were working across several areas, including surveillance and contact tracing. An expert from the regional office had also been deployed to help Kenya's Ministry of Health classify contacts according to their level of risk.
She said contact tracing had progressed well, with most identified contacts already in quarantine. Some people assessed as being at lower risk were self-quarantining while remaining under monitoring.
As the outbreak has been classified as a grade three emergency globally, WHO is required to appoint a senior incident manager to work alongside government counterparts, Kimambo said. The organisation has appointed an incident manager and deployed additional experts to support the response, building on preparations undertaken before the outbreak.
WHO has also supported Kenya by providing technical assistance and training healthcare personnel in Ebola preparedness and response.
Kimambo said more than 4,000 health workers had received training across different areas, with WHO guidelines used even when other partners funded the sessions. The organisation has provided technical support and helped facilitate the training.
She highlighted training and simulation exercises at ports of entry, as well as case-management exercises in Busia.
Although Kenya had not previously recorded an Ebola case, WHO experts had supported training to prepare healthcare facilities to treat patients, she said. According to Kimambo, all sites identified by the Ministry of Health are now equipped to provide care for people with Ebola.