Kenyan gov’t issues cautionary statement after outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in Tanzania.
Kenyan gov’t issues cautionary statement; The Acting Director General in the Ministry of Health Dr Patrick Amoth, has urged Kenyans to stay on high alert and to observe signs and symptoms that comes with the virus.
The ministry of health warned of the risk posed by trans-border buses and people moving across borders through the border points of Kenya and her neighbors.
Dr. Amoth highlighted areas of Sirare and Isebania among the towns that are on the border of Kenya and Tanzania, owing to the flow of both human and motorised traffic accessing the neighboring nation.
He stated,”The town is served by the Bukoba Airport and regular ferry connections to and from Mwanza that has connections with Kisumu in Kenya.”
“There are a number of buses that ply the route between Bukoba and Kampala in Uganda on a daily basis and some of which end up in certain destinations in Kenya,” he added.
As of now, the ministry of health stated that the virus has already affected eight people and claimed five lives in areas of Bukoba, Kagera Province in the North Western part of Tanzania and the South-Western shores of Lake Victoria.
Symptoms of the virus include; high fever, severe headache, severe malaise and muscle aches, severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting.
The above symptoms will be exhibited as soon as one contracts the virus and on the fifth and seventh days, patients with the Marburg virus experience severe bleeding from multiple areas which often leads to death.
Unfortunately, there’s no current specific treatment or vaccine approved for the treatment of the virus.
“Kenya has since activated its surveillance and response mechanisms and enhanced surveillance at all border points between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda,” Amoth highlighted.
Also read President Ruto appoints 50 CAS after parliament declines to vet them