WHO Country representative in Kenya Custodia Mandhate said Kenya is classified as Level 2, which means a high-risk area for the transmission category from countries in West Africa hit by the lethal Ebola epidemic.
Countries in the Level 1 category include Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Guinea where the world’s biggest outbreak has killed more than 1,000.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has categorised Kenya as a high-risk area for Ebola transmission, piling pressure on the need for a multi-million-shilling response and Kenya Airways asked to suspend flights from West Africa.
The WHO Country representative in Kenya Custodia Mandhate said Kenya is classified as Level 2, which means a high-risk area for the transmission category from countries in West Africa hit by the lethal Ebola epidemic.
Countries in the Level 1 category include Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Guinea where the world’s biggest outbreak has killed more than 1,000.
Dr Mandlhate said that as much as a lot of attention is now directed at airlines, African countries such as Kenya are at risk of rapid Ebola transmission due to the nature of porous borders.
“But even if we secure airports, we still need to put in place measures to prevent transmission by people moving from one country to another,” said Dr Mandlhate.
So far, no evidence of Ebola virus has been found in Kenya. Recently, travellers raised concern over “poor” screening of passengers from Ebola-hit countries at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The WHO assessment is set to up pressure to release the Sh533 million that the Ministry of Health is demanding to establish adequate preparedness.
The review of the deadly disease by the global body has prompted Kenya Airways to announce that it will this morning state the future of its operations to the Ebola-hit countries.
“The senior management within KQ has today been reviewing facts and advice from IATA, WHO and the Ministry of Health in Kenya regarding air operations into the Ebola affected regions of West Africa,” said Titus Naikuni, the Kenya Airways CEO, in a statement Wednesday.
Besides Kenya Airways, the Ministry of Health officials led by the Cabinet secretary James Macharia attended the Ebola press briefing in Nairobi.
Wednesday, Six MPs petitioned Kenya Airways to suspend operations to West Africa.
“We are concerned that its continued flight to and from West Africa at a time when the Ebola outbreak has overwhelmed countries like Liberia and Nigeria puts Kenya at very great risk,” said nominated MP Zulekha Hassan in a statement read on behalf of the six.
