All it took was one suspected case for Kenya to be added to the list of countries at high risk for an Ebola outbreak. And let’s be clear: it’s not that Kenya isn’t at risk—given its proximity to countries like Uganda and South Sudan, which are feeling the impact of the extremely serious situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (over 170 deaths, 700 cases)—but there’s obviously a long way to go before we can talk about an epidemic.
The fact remains that surveillance—which should be extremely tight at airports, as the Kenyan government itself has assured—allowed a citizen arriving from the Congo with a fever and symptoms that could be linked to the virus that is unsettling half of Africa and half the world to slip through, prompting the World Health Organization to raise the alert level.
Yes, but there is at least one piece of good news in all this. Because after hours of alarm, suspicions, viral posts, and near-collective panic, Kenya has officially confirmed that there are no confirmed cases of Ebola in the country. And in East Africa, that alone is almost cause enough to pop open a Tusker.
Reassuring the country was Health Minister Aden Duale, who spoke on Friday, May 22, after rumors had multiplied in recent hours regarding an alleged case reported in Uasin Gishu County, in northern Kenya. These rumors were fueled by a fake letter attributed to local health authorities that quickly went viral on Kenyan social media—which is always lightning-fast when it comes to spreading panic but much slower when it comes to waiting for official confirmation.
According to the ministry, three people who had recently arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo had indeed presented themselves at various hospitals in Kenya with initially suspicious symptoms. The patients were immediately isolated and tested for Ebola. All results were negative. Four other Kenyan citizens who had accompanied them to the healthcare facilities and were considered high-risk contacts also tested negative.
This is an important clarification, because in recent hours, fears that the virus might have entered Kenya had reignited long-standing anxieties that had never truly subsided on the continent. Especially after the case of the 29-year-old truck driver who arrived from Lubumbashi, even passing through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and was then hospitalized in the Eldoret area with symptoms consistent with the disease. An incident that had reignited controversy over the actual effectiveness of health screenings at airports and land borders in East Africa.
The Kenyan government, however, continues to maintain a very high alert level. Duale himself admitted that as many as 22 of the country’s 47 counties are considered “high risk” for possible infections, especially those near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan. Among the most closely monitored areas are also Nairobi, Mombasa, Busia, Bungoma, Turkana, and Trans Nzoia.
The problem, in fact, remains very real. The epidemic continues to hit the Democratic Republic of the Congo and certain areas of Uganda hard, with over 500 suspected cases recorded and more than 130 deaths according to the latest data released by regional health authorities and international organizations. And while the World Health Organization continues to monitor the situation, Kenya is trying to do what is often most difficult in Africa: remain vigilant without turning every fever into a continental urban legend.