Mombasa establishes Ebola training and isolation centre

Mombasa County Government, with support from Doctors Without Borders, has established an Ebola training centre at Port Reitz Sub-County Hospital as part of efforts to strengthen Ebola preparedness. 

County health authorities said that in case of an outbreak, the training centre could be repurposed as an isolation facility. 

The comprehensive training programme uses realistic simulation exercises to sensitise healthcare workers for outbreak response. 

Participants will receive training on various elements of an Ebola response, including clinical case management, biosafety and infection prevention and control, and correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). 

“The new training facility at Portreiz Sub-County Hospital is a preparedness measure designed to strengthen the capacity of healthcare workers, including Ministry of Health, Mombasa DoH staff and MSF teams, to safely and effectively launch a response in case of an Ebola disease outbreak,” said Dr Swabah Omar, Mombasa County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health. 

He added, “The facility does not indicate the presence of Ebola in Mombasa or elsewhere in Kenya.” 

He maintained that Kenya has not reported any Ebola case.

However, Dr Omar said, given Kenya's proximity and activities with neighbouring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Kenya as a Priority 2 country for Ebola preparedness. 

In response, Kenya's Ministry of Health has identified 25 high-risk counties, including Mombasa and Nairobi, and is prioritising enhanced surveillance, screening at points of entry, and the establishment of isolation and response capacities.  

Ebola is a severe, fatal viral disease that causes high fever, severe weakness, and other symptoms. 

In some cases, it affects the body's ability to stop bleeding, leading to internal bleeding or bleeding from the nose, mouth, or other parts of the body, and can lead to death. 

The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which can spread from person to person through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. 

"Preparedness is our strongest defence against public health threats." By investing in training, simulation exercises and isolation capacity now, we are strengthening our ability to protect patients, frontline staff and communities,” said Caroline Mogun, MSF nursing activity manager in Mombasa. 

She said the team was training the first batch of 20 healthcare workers yesterday, including the surveillance and case management teams. 

MSF project coordinator in Mombasa Ms Sarah Lachat said the training team has the requisite experience, as they are part of the team that handled such cases in Guinea in 2014. 

“Mombasa County has been identified as a high-risk zone, and any person coming from Uganda with Ebola-like symptoms will have to be screened even if it is not Ebola. At the moment no case of Ebola has been reported, and we are only contributing to the preparedness of the county to handle any such case,” she stated. 

MSF, an independent international medical humanitarian organisation, has extensive experience responding to Ebola disease outbreaks globally and is currently supporting response efforts in both DRC and Uganda. 

In Kenya, MSF is working closely with the Ministry of Health and Mombasa County Health Department to strengthen national preparedness. 

As part of these efforts, MSF has established an Emergency Simulation Centre (ESC) in Nairobi to provide scenario-based training for MSF staff. The centre supports both local preparedness activities and training teams deployed to assist in regional outbreak responses. 

“The Mombasa County Department of Health would like to reassure the public that these activities are precautionary measures to strengthen preparedness. There is no Ebola disease outbreak in Mombasa or Kenya, and residents are encouraged to rely on trusted sources for information,” Dr Swabah added.