Kenyans returning from West Africa to be screened for Ebola: official

Twelve Kenyans returning from Liberia Tuesday night will be screened for Ebola virus and placed in a temporary quarantine for monitoring by health workers, said a government official.

Cabinet Secretary for Health James Macharia told journalists in Nairobi that state agencies have put solid measures in place to ensure the returnees do not pose a health risk to the public.

"The returnees will not be allowed to get into contact with family members or friends before screening and confirmation of their health status. They will be ferried by bus from the plane to the screening venue," Macharia said.

Kenya's ministry of foreign affairs has organized the airlifting of citizens trapped in the Ebola hotspots.

He said the Ebola outbreak has caused panic among Kenyans working in West Africa, hence their appeal for a safe repatriation. He told reporters that all the returnees had made a personal commitment to undergo Ebola screening at the airport.

"Kenyans returning from Liberia will be interviewed by trained port health officials on key issues like country of origin, areas visited in that country and possible exposure to Ebola," said Macharia.

The returnees will be required to provide personal details like physical address and telephone contacts to enhance monitoring by the ministry of health.

Macharia said blood samples taken from the twelve returnees will be sent to an ultra-modern laboratory for testing.

"Travellers who fit the case definition for Ebola will be transferred to an isolated facility for management while those considered as low risk will be quarantined until results are out," he said.

The returnees who test negative for Ebola will be allowed to go home on condition they self-quarantine themselves.

Macharia stressed that any returnee who develop fever during the monitoring period will be placed in an isolation facility promptly.

Macharia also said that five Kenyans will also be airlifted from Sierra Leone next month. Kenya has a sizeable number of expatriates residing in Ebola hit West African countries.

The Kenyans have been stranded in the West African nation for the past two months since Kenya Airways stopped plying the West African route. The national carrier said earlier this month that it has no immediate plans to resume flights to West Africa following the Ebola outbreak. Enditem