Kenya declares Ebola a formidable epidemic disease
New rules cover screening, quarantine, contact tracing and burials. The WHO says 94 of 127 listed contacts are in quarantine, and advises against travel bans.
Nairobi — Kenya has declared Ebola a formidable epidemic disease, a legal step that brings a new set of rules into force on screening, isolation, quarantine, contact tracing and the handling of bodies, The Standard reports.
The health cabinet secretary, Aden Duale, made the declaration in two legal notices published in the Kenya Gazette on Monday under the Public Health Act. One declares the disease a formidable epidemic. The other sets out the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules, 2026.
What the rules cover
- screening at points of entry, medical assessment, isolation, referral, quarantine and monitoring;
- duties for transport operators, health facilities, doctors and laboratories;
- investigations and contact tracing by health authorities;
- designated facilities for suspected and confirmed cases;
- inspection and decontamination of premises;
- safe and dignified burial, record-keeping, transport and repatriation of bodies;
- public communication, including the role of media houses, and help from enforcement agencies.
The rules create offences and penalties. The published extract does not say what the penalty is for each breach.
Where things stand
Kenya confirmed its first case on 6 October: a Kenyan who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo and travelled home through Uganda. He died.
According to the World Health Organization's update of 12 October:
- Kenya had listed 127 contacts, of whom 94 were in quarantine;
- more than 665,000 travellers had been screened at points of entry;
- the WHO had supplied protective equipment and testing materials worth about $70,000.
The strain
The case involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. It spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated materials, and through unsafe contact with the bodies of people who have died of it. Symptoms can appear between two and 21 days after infection.
The WHO says there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain, which is why early detection, isolation, supportive care and contact tracing matter so much. On the information available, it advises against restrictions on travel or trade with Kenya, Uganda or Congo.
This report is based on reporting by The Standard.
