Bungoma sets up three Ebola quarantine centres, intensifies border surveillance

Kericho medics in protective gear over Ebola scare. Four patients are under isolation at the Kericho county hospital.[Courtesy]

Bungoma County has designated three health facilities as Ebola isolation and quarantine centres as part of heightened preparedness measures aimed at preventing a possible outbreak.

The facilities are Lwakhakha Health Centre, the Bungoma County Referral Hospital (BCRH), and Webuye County Hospital.

The facilities have been equipped to receive and manage suspected Ebola cases, while health authorities have intensified disease surveillance and screening activities along key border entry points, particularly at the Kenya-Uganda border.

Addressing the press in Bungoma, Bungoma County health and sanitation director Caleb Watta said Ebola is one of the viral hemorrhagic diseases that belong to the same group as Mpox.

"When you compare Ebola and Mpox, Ebola is highly infectious and more virulent compared to Mpox, and the most common cause of the disease is the virus. When someone comes in contact, it can spread very fast,” Watta noted.

According to Watta, Bungoma is among the counties that are at risk because it falls under the northern corridor through the Malaba border.

“Within Bungoma, Sirisia and Cheptais sub-counties border the neighbouring country, Uganda,” he said.

He affirmed that Bungoma has not recorded any Ebola cases.

Bungoma County has only one gazetted point of entry at Lwakhakha along the Kenya-Uganda border, where health surveillance and screening measures have been intensified.

He said health officials are maintaining heightened vigilance and working closely with neighbouring countries and national authorities to ensure any suspected Ebola cases are detected and managed promptly.

“We have also put in place a response team to monitor cases,” he said.