Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced that all 122 people who came into contact with Kenya’s first imported Ebola case have been identified and verified as the government intensifies measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
In a statement issued on Sunday, October 11, Duale revealed that 108 of the contacts, representing 88.5 per cent, had been placed in quarantine and were undergoing daily health monitoring.
“All 122 contacts of the case have been listed and verified. 108 (88.5%) are in quarantine and being monitored daily and none have developed any symptoms thus far,” Duale stated.
The latest update comes after earlier reports indicated that 10 high-risk contacts had been quarantined, while authorities were searching for 57 other people who had been linked to the deceased patient.
The new figures indicate that all 122 contacts have now been traced and accounted for. However, the Ministry of Health did not provide a revised breakdown to explain the difference between the earlier figures and the latest update.
Duale maintained that none of the 108 people in quarantine had developed symptoms, as contact tracing and surveillance continued with support from international partners.
Kenya confirmed its first imported Ebola case on October 6 after a Kenyan national who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Uganda died on October 5.
The patient was buried on October 6 in accordance with public health protocols as the government moved to contain the outbreak and prevent further infections.
According to the Ministry of Health, 293 samples collected from 289 alerts had been tested by October 11, with only the confirmed case returning a positive result.
Authorities have also intensified screening at the country's entry points to identify travellers who may have been exposed to the virus.
The ministry reported that 667,675 travellers had been screened at 26 points of entry, including 2,345 people in the 24 hours preceding the latest update.
To strengthen diagnostic capacity, five designated laboratories are conducting Ebola tests, including mobile facilities stationed at the Lwakhaha and Busia border points. The facilities can provide confirmed results within six to 12 hours.
The government has also set aside 241 isolation beds across five hospitals in Nairobi, Eldoret and Mombasa to support the management of suspected and confirmed cases.
The facilities include 50 intensive care beds at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, while an additional 4,197 healthcare workers have undergone training in Ebola management.
The measures are part of broader efforts to strengthen Kenya's capacity to respond to infectious diseases and minimise the risk of further transmission.
The latest developments come as the government proposes the establishment of the Kenya Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to coordinate disease surveillance, prevention and management.
Meanwhile, the government is mobilising more than Ksh70 billion in support from development partners to finance response efforts targeting Ebola and climate change.
