Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale during official launch of Benefits Package and Tarrifs Advisory Panel on May 26, 2025. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]
Kenya has screened more than 140,000 travellers for Ebola with no confirmed cases, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said.
His statement on Thursday, June 25, comes amid public anxiety over a planned isolation facility.
Duale said over 100 Ebola alerts had been investigated, with all tests returning negative results, despite Kenya's status as a major regional travel and logistics hub raising the country's exposure risk.
"Experience from previous outbreaks in Africa has shown that countries that prepare early are better able to protect lives, safeguard their health systems and minimise disruption to their economies," said Duale.
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He sought to dispel fears that the planned isolation facility signals a domestic outbreak, framing it instead as standard contingency infrastructure.
"Just as a country prepares a fire engine before a fire occurs, public health authorities must prepare isolation and quarantine facilities before an outbreak occurs," noted the CS.
The ministry said it had, together with the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI), activated the National Ebola Incident Management System and reinforced screening at airports and land border points, while strengthening surveillance and rapid response systems across counties.
The public was urged to maintain regular hygiene and to seek immediate medical attention for symptoms including fever, headache, sore throat, extreme fatigue, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding.