A 36-year-old woman who was admitted to the Kericho County Referral Hospital’s isolation unit on suspicion that should could be infected with the deadly Ebola virus disease has tested negative.
In a statement released Monday evening by Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, the woman also tested negative for other viral haemorrhage fevers.
The tests were carried out in Kisumu at the Kenya Medical Research Institute’s laboratories.
At the same time, the Health CS confirmed that Kenya remains free of the deadly virus.
PREPARED
“The ministry of Health wishes to reiterate to the general public and health facilities that we are prepared in terms of Ebola prevention and response measures and, therefore, there is no need for panic,” the CS said in the statement.
Earlier on Monday, the Ministry of Health deployed a special team of health workers to the country’s points of entry following the heightened alert on the Ebola virus disease.
On Sunday, three other people who had taken the Kericho woman to hospital had also been put in the isolation ward at the referral facility.
They were the woman’s husband and two others who had assisted him to take her to hospital.
And following the release of the test results on Monday, Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony commended the county’s disease surveillance team which he said remains vigilant.
“I wish to commend them for the job well done,” said Prof Chepkwony.
He said the anxiety and tension which had engulfed Kericho following the Ebola scare had been put to rest.