Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret has put one person under quarantine after a possible exposure to the Ebola virus. The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Philip Kirwa, announced this in a statement on Thursday, October 22. He said the person was picked up through contact tracing, which is the process of following the people who were near a confirmed case.
Dr Kirwa was quick to calm people down. He said the hospital has no patients with Ebola. He asked Kenyans not to mix up quarantine with infection, because being quarantined only means you are being watched in case symptoms show up. The person will be kept under observation for 21 days, and if no sickness develops during that time, they will be released.
The case comes at a time when Kenya is dealing with a growing number of Bundibugyo virus cases, a type of Ebola. Health officials have now confirmed nine cases in the country, and they are still tracing people who may have come into contact with the sick. The Ministry of Health says 134 of the 135 contacts linked to the first patient have been traced so far. What is not yet clear is whether the person now in quarantine is one of those 135 people or a brand new case.
Meanwhile, the first group of people who were placed under quarantine after being exposed is expected to leave isolation on Sunday, October 25. They will be leaving after completing the mandatory 21-day monitoring period, which is good news for the families waiting on them.
The worry is not only inside Kenya. Nigeria has also confirmed its first case of the virus, and other countries have started putting travel restrictions on people coming to and from Kenya. Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya has warned that no African country can say it is completely safe from the disease, so every country needs to stay alert.
