East African Nation; Kenya, is on high alert after a woman from Malaba was admitted at Kericho County Referral Hospital and put on isolation depicting Ebola like symptoms.
The patient, was admitted to Siloam Hospital in Kericho on Sunday the 16th of June 2019, at Night.
Sources at the medical facility claim that the patient who hails from Malaba, was travelling to Kericho to visit her husband.
Ebola’s symptoms include sudden fever, body weakness,muscle pain, headache and sore throat.
Once the symptoms manifest themselves, the victim is then plunged into a state of vomiting, bodywide rash, impaired kidney as well as internal and external bleeding.
The fever has an incubation period of two to 21 days implying that someone can be infected with the virus and not yet know that he or she is sick for up to 21 days when the symptoms begin to show.
In an interview with journalists, Kericho County’s Health Officer; Dr David Ekuwam said that the patient’s blood samples have been sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) for specialised tests.
Dr. Ekuwam said “It is important to note that that the symptoms that have been exhibited by the patient can be indicative of any other medical condition and there is no confirmed case of Ebola at this moment,”.
The Kericho County Government has already confirmed that the results will be out in 12 to 24 hours.
A statement signed by county’s Communications boss; Timothy Kemei stated that “The County Disease Surveillance Team immediately took over the matter and took all the necessary precautions to ensure that there was minimal contact between the patient and other persons at the hospital including the staff and the other hospital users.”.
The case will likely lead to the Kenyan government scaling up its alertness, especially after the outbreak in neighbouring country; Uganda.
Hospital Administrator for Kericho County Margaret Okiro, said that when the patient was brought in she complained of headache, body fever, puffy face, some diarrhea, and nausea.
Margaret Okiro added that acting on the Ministry of Health protocol which requires all medical facilities in Kenya to report any medical cases with symptoms of fever, the patient was transferred.
The administrator, added that “This patient needed close and further elaborate investigations while under appropriate isolation requirements till diagnosed for targeted treatment to be given,”.
Uganda reported it’s first Ebola case on the 11th of June 2019.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) also declared its tenth outbreak of Ebola in 40 years on the 1st of August, 2018.
