NAIROBI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's health ministry has allayed fears of an Ebola outbreak in the country after a suspected case which was reported in Kericho County in northwest region turned negative.
Sicily Kariuki, Cabinet Secretary for Health, said the case reported in Kericho involving a 36-year-old woman does not meet the case definition of Ebola.
"The rapid surveillance and response team which has been set up to respond has examined the patient who is in stable condition and has confirmed that she does not meet the case definition of Ebola," Kariuki said.
She later said in a statement issued on Monday evening that further blood tests by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) laboratories in Nairobi confirmed to be negative for Ebola virus disease and other viral hemorrhagic fevers.
"The ministry of health wishes to reiterate to the general public and health facilitates that we are prepared in terms of Ebola prevention and response measures and therefore there is no need for panic," Kariuki said.
The 36-year-old woman put in isolation at the Kericho County Referral Hospital over suspected Ebola symptoms was experiencing headache, fever and vomiting.
Speaking at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) during an inspection of the screening exercise earlier on Monday, Kariuki noted that an alert has been issued to all health workers and public to enhance surveillance measures and report any suspected cases.
"I wish to reassure all Kenyans and our visitors that we do not have any cases of Ebola and indeed the ministry has undertaken and continues to implement the preparedness measures," she said.
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.
The ministry of health said that surveillance had been intensified at ports of entry to prevent spread of Ebola into the country.
Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) 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 DRC in August 2018.
