People wait to be screened as part of protective measures against the Ebola virus, at a border crossing with Sierra Leone in Liberia’s western Cape Mount province. AFP PHOTO
What you need to know:
The Health ministry says it received Sh350 million from the Treasury, forcing it to scale back on some emergency measures for a disease that has killed about 4,500 people so far, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Health secretary James Macharia said Kenya has established a permanent isolation ward at Kenyatta National Hospital, bought protective gear and eight thermal scanners that will be used at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
The Treasury has only provided half of the Sh680 million the Health ministry needs to keep Ebola out of Kenya’s borders as the virus spreads to Western capitals.
The Health ministry says it received Sh350 million from the Treasury, forcing it to scale back on some emergency measures for a disease that has killed about 4,500 people so far, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The World Bank’s Ebola Impact Index, released last week, shows Kenya has a five per cent chance of having to deal with the disease in the next one month if the three worst-affected West African countries fail to contain its spread.
Health secretary James Macharia said Kenya has established a permanent isolation ward at Kenyatta National Hospital, bought protective gear and eight thermal scanners that will be used at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
“The money released was not sufficient but helped buy what was considered necessary to handle emergencies. But more funds could help the government do more, especially building isolation units at points of entry,” Mr Macharia told the Business Daily on phone.
“The Ministry of Health is waiting for the next batch of the fund. This is Sh330 million.”
The government has been unable to buy five mobile isolation units as well as build six fixed isolation centres in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Nakuru and Kisumu.
This together with hand sprayers and disinfectants was to cost Sh338 million, according to a budget presented to Parliament on August 18.
The budget indicated that Sh332, 352,000 was to finance service delivery and associated activities such as training in 286 sub-counties and producing Ebola information brochures for the general public.
Kenya is one of 19 states the World Bank says could report an Ebola case in the next 30 days, even if the outbreak in West Africa is contained.
The news will alarm sceptics afraid that cases of the deadly disease will be mishandled as happened in Nigeria, the United States and Spain.
It will also dismay tourism industry players still reeling from the impact of a similar World Health Organisation (WHO) announcement two months ago.
No Ebola cases have been confirmed in Kenya. But the epidemic is still spreading in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and projections show there could be between 5,000 and 10,000 new cases a week in early December, the WHO said on Tuesday.
Britain, Canada and the US have introduced increased screening of travellers arriving at airports from West Africa. This follows deaths and reports of infected persons in the US and Europe.
Kenya has dropped the use of hand held thermometers for JKIA screening and has opted for thermal scanners.
“Kenya was ranked high risk because it is a transit hub for passengers travelling to other countries, but we expect to rank low with the ban of passengers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone,” said Mr Macharia.
Kenya banned passengers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone into the country from mid-August.
Kenya Airways also suspended flights to Liberia’s capital Monrovia and Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown.
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