NAIROBI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has intensified surveillance to prevent spread of Ebola as a suspected case is reported in Kericho County that is located about 260 km northwest of the capital Nairobi.
Kericho County government said on Monday that a patient with Ebola-like symptoms was received by the main referral hospital on Sunday evening and was being monitored closely by health officers.
"The county department of health services is monitoring this potential case very closely and is working with the national government to ensure that all essential procedures are followed to protect public health and safety," said the statement from Kericho County's chief public relations officer Timothy Kemei.
He said the county's disease surveillance team has taken drastic measures to ensure there was minimal contact between the suspected Ebola patient, health workers and members of the public.
"This patient has been placed in isolation and blood samples sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi for further analysis," said Kemei adding that preliminary test results are expected to be already within 12 hours to 24 hours.
He clarified that the symptoms exhibited by the patient could be indicative of other diseases that mimic Ebola, hence the need for thorough diagnosis.
Kenya has been on high alert since last week when a five-year-old boy and his grandmother from neighboring Uganda succumbed to Ebola after a brief visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where there is an outbreak.
Kenya's Ministry of Health said in a statement that surveillance had been intensified at ports of entry to prevent spread of Ebola into the country.
"We have established Ebola Rapid Response Team comprising of medical specialists in disease control and laboratory scientists who are trained in investigation and testing for Ebola virus disease," said the ministry.
Statistics from the World Health Organization indicate that more than 2,000 people have been infected with Ebola and about 1,400 have succumbed to the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever since it broke out in the DRC in August 2018.
