Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has stepped up health screening for travelers arriving from African countries after Kenya reported an imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease, Health Minister Dr. Ali Haji Adan said Thursday.
Ali Haji said medical teams were stationed at airports to monitor passengers arriving from across the continent, with particular attention following the confirmed case in neighboring Kenya.
- Advertisement -
“We have deployed a medical team to the airport to monitor flights arriving from African countries. We are now intensifying our preparedness after Ebola reached Kenya,” the minister said.
Somalia’s Ministry of Health called on residents to wash their hands regularly and avoid contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of people who are sick.
It also urged anyone suffering from severe illness, particularly people who had recently traveled from Ebola-affected areas, to seek medical care without delay.
Possible Ebola symptoms include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle pain, headache, vomiting and diarrhea.
Kenya’s Ministry of Health said its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease involved a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The patient traveled from Uganda to Nairobi on Oct. 3 and later died after testing positive, Kenyan health authorities said.
Following the case, Kenya increased surveillance at airports and border crossings, according to health officials.
The development comes as the Democratic Republic of Congo faces a major Ebola outbreak. More than 4,000 people have died in the outbreak, which has been linked to the Bundibugyo strain, according to recent reports citing health officials.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, such as blood or vomit, or with materials contaminated by those fluids.
