Border health staff get Ebola kits

Health officers at Kenya’s border with Uganda and Tanzania have received Ebola testing equipment.

This came as new cases of the deadly virus were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The workers at the Malaba, Busia and Isebania border points said they were now in a better position to check incoming travellers.

Ebola has so far claimed 1,427 lives in Liberia, Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and DRC.

“Surveillance and screening have been heightened at border points, especially among truck drivers travelling to and from the DRC,” Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said in Nairobi on Monday.

WEAR PROTECTIVE GEAR

Thirteen people have died of Ebola in the DRC.

“The ministry has deployed additional health workers to beef up checks, especially among the drivers,” the Cabinet Secretary said.

At Malaba, health officer Meshack Tunduli said they received the kits on Saturday.

Mr Tunduli said the equipment included dust coats, gowns, face masks, thermometers, boots, goggles and latex gloves.

He said every officer attending to travellers must wear protective gear.

QUESTIONNAIRE

At the Busia border point, public health officer Ambrose Fwamba said the government had sent the screening kits.

Dr Fwamba said they had prepared a questionnaire with eight questions, which visitors are supposed to fill.

“The traveller is required to state whether he or she has any high fever, severe headache or bleeding. They are also supposed to disclose their country of origin,” he said.

Medical teams have arrived at the Isebania border point in Kuria West to screen travellers from Tanzania.

Records at the immigration offices show that 39 people from DRC had arrived in Kenya or left the country through Busia and Malaba borders in the past two weeks.

However, no citizen of the affected West African countries had arrived into the country through Tanzania.

Reports by Raphael Wanjala, Linet Wafula, Elisha Otieno Barnabas Bii and Mike Mwaniki