The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative to Kenya Dr Rudi Eggers says governments across Africa must do all they can to prepare for an eventual outbreak and respond rapidly to contain and isolate the initial cases.
“These cases are a wake-up call for governments across Africa,” said Dr Rudi Eggers.
“As indicated by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, governments must do all they can to prepare for an eventual outbreak, and respond rapidly to contain and isolate these initial cases: time is critical now.” He added.
This follows an announcement by the Ministry of Health on the country’s first case of COVID-19.
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Speaking during a press briefing at Harambee House, Nairobi, the Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Friday confirmed that the patient is a Kenyan lady aged 27 who traveled from United States to Nairobi via United Kingdom.
This follows a positive confirmation on Thursday 12th March, 2020 by the National Influenza Centre Laboratory at the National Public Health Laboratories.
The lady who arrived in Kenya on 5th March, 2020 is in a stable condition at the Kenyatta National Hospital’s Infectious Diseases Unit.
So far the government has traced all the contacts of the patient since her arrival in Kenya.
“In view of this the government has put in place measures to contain the spread of the virus including suspended all Public gatherings, including the inter-schools events that were to be carried out in this second term school calendar. However religious gatherings to go on as normal but leadership should provide sanitisers for the worshippers.
Through the Public Health Act, the CS also ordered that all persons should maintain a distance of at least one metre from persons who are coughing or sneezing to minimize the spread of the virus through droplets.
Kagwe said people should regularly wash hands with sanitizers, those coughing and having symptoms closer to Covid 19 to keep away from crowds, cover mouth and nose with handkerchiefs and hands when sneezing.
He added that those with suspected symptoms of the pandemic to stay home. He gave travel restriction for nonessential travel out of the country.
Others are that Public transport operators should regularly clean their vehicles and provide sanitizers to passengers, suspension of all visits to prisons for the next one month, and also asked those affected by coughs and difficulty in breathing to stay at home.
Kagwe also stressed that all level 4 and 5 hospitals in the country will have an isolation ward and that County governments will also carry out regular public sensitization on the coronavirus disease,
The CS urged Kenyans not to panic as long as everyone follows measures that have been put in place across board. He added government will be giving regular updates so as to avoid social media misinformation.
“This is not a time to assign blame but for all of us to join hands and ensure that this epidemic does not sweep through the country,” he emphasized.
Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia, who was present at the press conference, said all public transport operators had already held a special stakeholder meeting on COVID 19.
The Government, he said, will also be conducting training at bus stops from 10 am to 4 pm which involve all bus and matatu drivers and their conductors. More than 90 percent of Kenyans use public transport.
Kenya is one of the 47 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African region. This is the 66th confirmed case of COVID-19 in the WHO African Region.
On the African continent, so far there have been confirmed cases in Egypt (67), Algeria (25), South Africa (17), Senegal (10), Tunisia (7), Morocco (6), Nigeria (2), Cameroon (2), Burkina Faso (2), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2), Cote d’Ivoire (1), Ghana (1), Togo (1) and Gabon (1).
In the rest of the African continent, a total of 66 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported from three countries: Egypt (59), Tunisia (5), and Morocco (2). These three countries fall under EMRO, namely, Eastern Mediterranean Regional office.
The statement further, said WHO has provided technical and material support to countries in Africa, including the training of health workers.
“WHO has provided testing kits to national laboratories as well as training to laboratory technicians. In addition, WHO has dispatched personal protective equipment for health workers, as well as thermal scanners and other essential supplies for screening and handling suspect cases at airports and other points of entry.”It said.
Who says, while there is still much to learn about COVID-19, people can take actions to prevent the disease through simple, day-to-day measures.
These include; regular hand washing with soap and water; respiratory hygiene such as coughing into a tissue or a bent elbow, being sure to safely dispose of the tissue afterwards; maintaining a social distance of at least one meter, particularly if that person is coughing; avoiding touching the eyes, nose and mouth; and seeking medical attention early if a person develops a fever or cough.
The CoronaVirus 2019 outbreak was first reported on December 31, 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and continues to spread across the globe.
As of Wednesday March 11, 2020, there were 118,326 confirmed cases and 4627 deaths in 114 countries globally.
