Kenya government issues alert after Ebola outbreak in Uganda

The ministry of health has issued a public alert following the declaration of an outbreak of the Ebola virus in neighboring Uganda. Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni issued the alert on Friday, January 31. She said that the government was committed to safeguarding public health. She said that surveillance measures would be put in place at all entry points between Kenya and Uganda. Uganda has confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the capital Kampala with the first confirmed patient dying from it on January 29. A male nurse at the Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, had initially sought treatment at various facilities, including Mulago, as well as with a traditional healer, after developing fever-like symptoms. The primary signs and symptoms of the virus which often begin abruptly are fever, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and body ache. Hemorrhagic manifestations (bleeding tendencies from body orifices) of the disease appear in the later stages of the disease, as it progresses. The government urged people showing symptoms of Ebola must immediately seek medical care at health facilities, and avoid treating patients at home.