Somalia Strengthens Ebola Preparedness after Confirmed Case in Kenya

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Somalia is strengthening surveillance and emergency preparedness for Ebola after Kenya confirmed the country’s first imported case of the disease, while stressing that no case has been reported in Somalia.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services said it was closely monitoring the situation in the region following confirmation of the case in Nairobi.

According to the ministry, the patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo and travelled through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi on October 3. The patient was isolated after developing illness and later tested positive for Ebola, but died while receiving care.

Kenyan health authorities have identified contacts and are conducting contact tracing and other measures aimed at preventing further transmission.

The Somali ministry said the regional situation, combined with movement of people across East African borders, had prompted it to strengthen preparedness and ensure suspected cases can be detected and investigated quickly.

Measures being reinforced include disease surveillance, preparedness at points of entry, cross-border information sharing and the readiness of rapid response teams at national and regional levels.

Somalia is also reviewing laboratory capacity, specimen collection and testing arrangements, infection prevention and control measures, isolation and case-management facilities, as well as the availability of protective equipment.

The ministry said it was coordinating the preparations with the Somalia National Institute of Health, federal member states, government institutions and health partners.

It urged the public to remain calm but vigilant, maintain good hand hygiene and avoid direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of people who are sick.

People who develop serious symptoms, particularly after travelling to an Ebola-affected area or having possible contact with a suspected case, have been advised to seek medical attention and disclose their travel and exposure history to health workers.

The ministry listed possible Ebola symptoms as sudden fever, severe tiredness and weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea and unexplained bleeding. Symptoms can develop between two and 21 days after exposure.

Somali authorities also warned the public against spreading rumours or unverified information and said they would continue monitoring developments in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the wider region.