KQ suspends W. African flights as ministry allays fears over virus

By Abigael Sum

Saturday, August 16th 2014

Picture of floury activities taken from a distance at Kenyatta National Hospital as three suspected Ebola patients are isolated in this tent today 1/08/14 PHOTO Moses Omusula

Kenya: The Government yesterday announced that Kenya had not recorded any Ebola cases, as national carrier Kenya Airways suspended commercial flight operations to Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The ministry of Health said it had received five alerts of suspected cases of the deadly virus from different Nairobi hospitals and at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, but after clinical assessment and laboratory testing, all the samples tested negative for Ebola.

Speaking at a press briefing in Nairobi, Director of Medical Services Nicholas Muraguri said four of the cases involved foreign patients, who were examined after showing flu-like symptoms that could herald the deadly disease.
“As soon as we got the alerts, laboratory samples were taken, but they all tested negative for Ebola. Three of the people tested were in transit, and the other one was visiting the country. The three have already left the country and the other one is due to leave tomorrow (Sunday),” said Dr Muraguri.
One of the patients was a Liberian national transiting through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to India. The second one was a Nigerian who had visited Kenya on August 8, but became ill while in Nairobi, and the third was a Zimbabwean who works in South Africa but was travelling to Siera Leone. The fourth patient was a Nigerian who reported to an AAR clinic with suspicious symptoms.
“These patients presented symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscular pains and chills, and this prompted their isolation and further investigation, just to make sure they were not infected with Ebola,” Muraguri added.
However, the fifth alert which, was from a Kenyan health worker, was ruled out because officials said it did not warrant further investigation.

“The fifth case was immediately ruled out because her symptoms were not consisted with what we were on the lookout for. It was just a health worker who was worried,” said Muraguri.

As of yesterday, 1,145 Ebola-related deaths had been reported, mostly in the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, in an outbreak that started in March.
Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said there was no cause for alarm adding that the Government has put in place efficient measure to keep the highly infectious disease at bay.
“We have put in place a robust contingency plan to stop Ebola. We have trained doctors who can tackle the disease in case a suspected case is confirmed,” he noted.
“Kenyans should be clam. Any muscle ache or fever does not automatically mean one has Ebola. The disease is not airbone and you can only get infected by coming into contact with the body fluids of an infected person. It is a very limited disease and we shall make sure it doesn’t come to Kenya.”
Meanwhile, the Government has temporarily suspended the travel or transit of passengers to Kenya from Liberia, Guinea and Siera Leone as from Tuesday. However, the directive excludes health professional supporting efforts to contain the outbreak and Kenyans returning home. The two groups will be subject to extensive screening and monitoring.
Macharia said the rise in the number of deaths resulting from Ebola, a World Health Organisation (WHO) warning of a possible international spread, and public interest are what prompted the decision to suspend entry into Kenya.
In line with this move, the national carrier, Kenya Airways, has suspended commercial flight operations to Liberia and Sierra Leone temporarily, also  effective Tuesday,  August 19,  as part of the fight against the spread of Ebola. Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer Titus Naikuni said the airline suspended flights to these destinations after a situation risk assessment by Kenya’s Ministry of Health.
“We are dependent on expert advice from Ministry of Health and WHO for our continued operations. Following the Ministry of Health statement issued today, Kenya Airways wishes to confirm that we will comply with the advice to suspend our commercial flight operations to Liberia and Sierra Leone temporarily,” Naikuni said.
“... Guests who are booked on the suspended flights, we wish to express our sincere regrets for disrupting your travel plans. We further wish to confirm that we shall be providing for a full refund of all tickets earlier booked and paid for prior to this suspension,” read part of KQ statement.
Kenya Airways however, said that it will continue operating all its scheduled flights to Nigeria and Ghana. In addition, Naikuni said that they reserve the right to cancel other scheduled flights to any other destinations should the situation warrant.
But some workers at Kenyatta National Hospital, where the four foreigners had been isolated, are unhappy with the way the hospital handled the situation. They said the hospital appeared unprepared for such cases, and announced that they would hold a press conference addressing the matter today.