Ebola Patient Suspect Quarantined In Kakamega

Tension aroused in Mumias, Kakamega county after a 32-year-old man was suspected to have ebola symptoms.  Preliminary tests however show that he might not be having the highly contagious disease.

According to the medical report, the patient-Gideon Ashibo traveled to Uganda on September 15 to visit a relative. While in Uganda, he got trauma and was cut in the right upper limb. As a result, he sought medical attention at a health facility in Uganda.

The cut was treated. He, thereafter, moved to Kenya for further medical attention. On September 28, he started experiencing blood in his urine and proceeded to the Mumias-based health facility for further management.

Mumias Sub-County Health Officer Charles Namasake said the patient’s only Ebola symptom was bleeding from a body opening, and that the hemorrhaging could be a result of other diseases such as bilharzia.

“Preliminary examination shows that he could be Ebola-free. He had blood traces in his urine. We’ve forwarded the urine sample to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Kisumu for further analysis,”  Namasake said, adding that there is a likelihood that the person is not suffering from Ebola.

The patient is currently at the St Mary Hospital isolation unit awaiting laboratory tests.

The common signs of Ebola are fever, severe headache and muscle, and joint pain, Weakness, and fatigue, Sore throat, Loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, hemorrhaging, and bleeding or bruising. It is transmitted through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats or monkeys among others.

Last week, the ministry of health issued an Ebola alert and called for screening of travelers at entry points on the border with Uganda.

In Uganda, so far 50 people have contracted the disease, and 24 have succumbed to the disease.