Suspected Ebola case in Nyandarua tests negative

A suspected Ebola case reported in Kinangop, Nyandarua County, has tested negative for the disease, with health officials lifting precautionary measures after laboratory tests ruled out an infection.

In a statement issued on Saturday, October 24, the Nyandarua County government said the patient, an adult male who had recently returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), tested negative for Bundibugyo virus disease.

The patient had been isolated at a health facility on October 23 after presenting symptoms and disclosing his recent travel history to the DRC, where an outbreak of the disease is ongoing.

“His samples were tested at the National Public Health Laboratories (NPHL) in Nairobi, and confirmatory testing in line with national guidelines has ruled out Ebola disease,” said Health Services County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Juliana Tisnanga in the statement.

The patient is receiving treatment for other illnesses, with the county reporting that his condition was stable and improving.

Following the negative results, precautionary measures introduced at the health facility were lifted, while individuals who had been in contact with the patient were released from follow-up.

The Governor Kiarie Badilisha-led administration said it had activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and deployed a rapid response team in collaboration with the Ministry of Health after receiving the alert.

“Infection prevention and control measures were strengthened at the facility and every person who had been in contact with the patient was identified and monitored,” Tisnanga added.

The county commended health workers for identifying the suspected case and acting promptly, saying the response demonstrated the effectiveness of disease surveillance systems.

“This shows that our disease surveillance system is working as it should,” the county CECM said, while thanking the Ministry of Health, NPHL, its partners and the patient's family for their cooperation.

Despite the negative test results, Nyandarua warned that the risk of imported cases remained due to the ongoing outbreak in the DRC and confirmed Ebola cases in Nairobi.

“The Ebola outbreak in the DRC is still active and Kenya has confirmed cases in Nairobi. The risk of further imported cases, therefore, remains,” stated Tisnanga.

The county said it would continue strengthening surveillance and screening of travellers at public and private health facilities, training health workers in early detection and infection prevention, and keeping isolation and quarantine facilities ready.

Residents were urged to seek immediate medical attention if they develop fever, headaches, muscle or joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding within 21 days of returning from an Ebola-affected area.

The county also advised the public to disclose their travel history to health workers, avoid direct contact with the blood and body fluids of seriously ill people, maintain proper hand hygiene and report suspected cases to the nearest health facility or Community Health Promoter.