In a circular issued to the Council of Governors, the ministry directed all county governments and county departments of health to immediately heighten surveillance and screening at all points of entry.
The ministry said counties are expected to strengthen surveillance in all health facilities, particularly in regions with high cross-border movement and international travel, and to enhance community-based and event-based surveillance systems for early detection and reporting of suspected cases.
Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said counties and points of entry should designate facilities to serve as holding rooms for suspected cases as they are assessed.
“All points of entry and counties [are] to have designated facilities to serve as holding rooms to accommodate suspected cases as they are assessed,” Muthoni said, adding that screening would be prioritised over unnecessary isolation.
“We may not hold drivers… If they have not been confirmed then we cannot isolate them as such. What we do is screen and ensure capacity to detect early,” she said.
Counties were also directed to intensify public awareness on Ebola prevention, symptoms and reporting mechanisms, and to conduct refresher training for healthcare workers on case identification and reporting protocols.
The measures come amid reports that the outbreak, first reported in DRC’s eastern Ituri province, has recorded about 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization designated the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern and urged countries to step up surveillance.
WHO said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency, but warned it could be larger than currently detected and reported, with a significant risk of local and regional spread.
Ebola symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, intense weakness and muscle pain, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding. The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, first identified in Uganda in 2007, which has a high case fatality rate with no vaccine or specific treatment.
