NewzNAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 6 — Kenya has confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease after a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo travelled by road to Kampala before boarding Jambojet flight JM8523 from Entebbe to Nairobi on October 3. The patient later died after testing positive at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and KEMRI. Jambojet says it is working with the Ministry of Health, Port Health Services and other authorities to identify and manage passengers and crew who may have been in contact with the deceased passenger.
Authorities will identify the passengers and crew The Ministry of Health says it has already identified twenty-eight contacts of the deceased, including family members and health workers, and is pursuing a further twenty-three passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight. This is the immediate priority because Ebola is primarily spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or contaminated surfaces and materials. It is not spread by someone who has been infected but has not yet developed symptoms.
Being on the same aircraft, therefore, does not by itself mean a passenger was infected. Health authorities need to establish whether individuals had an exposure that could put them at risk. Identified contacts will be monitored for 21 days WHO says Ebola’s incubation period is 2 to 21 days.
People exposed to a confirmed case are therefore followed for 21 days from their last exposure, with authorities watching for symptoms. This means the passengers and crew being traced are likely to be contacted by health authorities, have their exposure assessed and receive instructions on monitoring their health. If symptoms develop, the person should immediately alert health authorities and be moved into appropriate care rather than continuing normal activities.
WHO recommends rapid identification and isolation of symptomatic people to prevent further transmission. People contacted by the health authorities should cooperate with contact-tracing teams, provide accurate information about their movements and monitor themselves for symptoms. Early symptoms can include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, followed by symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and rash.
NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 6 – Jambojet has said it is working with the Ministry of Health and Port Health Services to trace passengers and crew who travelled on flight JM8523 from Entebbe to Nairobi, after Kenya confirmed its first imported Ebola case. The airline said the passenger, who travelled on Saturday was aboard its Entebbe-Nairobi flight and is now at the centre of a public health contact-tracing exercise following confirmation of the Ebola infection by the Ministry of Health. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Jambojet said it was cooperating with health authorities to identify and manage other passengers and crew who may have come into contact with the infected traveller.
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