Kenya steps up Ebola screening even as active cases decline

Kenya is stepping up Ebola surveillance at health facilities even as the number of patients under treatment drops to one following the recovery and discharge of six others.

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu has intensified screening at its Main Gate and Obama Gate, targeting all staff, patients, caregivers and visitors entering the facility.

The hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) nurses, Public Health personnel, and the Kenya Red Cross Society are conducting the screening.

The measures aim to detect suspected infections early and prevent possible transmission within the hospital, which serves patients from Kisumu and other parts of Western Kenya.

Kenya’s Ebola response remains active despite the decline in cases.

Surveillance and other containment measures will continue, with the country expected to maintain a 42-day monitoring period after the last patient is discharged to establish whether any new infections emerge.

JOOTRH has urged everyone entering the hospital to cooperate with screening teams and promptly report any symptoms that could raise suspicion of Ebola.

The hospital has also called for regular handwashing with soap and running water and the use of hand sanitisers as part of efforts to prevent the spread of infection.