AfriPulse
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told Parliament that the proposed Ebola isolation and treatment facility in Laikipia County forms part of 23 such units Kenya plans to establish nationwide under its national preparedness and response framework.
Duale said the country will build these facilities through a coordinated national strategy jointly implemented by Kenya and the United States to strengthen Kenya’s ability to respond to highly infectious diseases.
He also told lawmakers that officials will jointly manage the Laikipia facility and other designated centres through a structured command system that brings together the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the Ministry of Health.
Duale said the command structure will include the KDF Air Force Commander, base commanders, and military medical teams working closely with civilian health experts from the Ministry of Health. He added that this approach will support strict containment, quick response, and efficient operations.
“The facilities will be jointly operated under a coordinated command involving the KDF Air Force Commander, base commanders, and military medical teams working together with the Ministry of Health,” he said.
CS Duale further noted that the arrangement reflects Kenya’s preparedness to manage complex infectious disease outbreaks and strengthens its role as a regional medical hub for handling high-risk public health emergencies such as Ebola.
However, he said the legal framework covering the international health agreement and containment arrangements currently sits before the courts.
“In keeping with the doctrine of sub judice and the Standing Orders of this House, I will not discuss the merits of any active litigation,” he said.
“I will, however, continue to provide this House with the government’s health position and preparedness status.”
The CS also described the regional side of the preparedness plan, saying many Kenyans currently work in Ebola-affected areas such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
He told Parliament that the United Nations MONUSCO peacekeeping mission has deployed about 450 KDF personnel in the DRC, which increases exposure risks and means Kenya must maintain strong quarantine and isolation capacity when they return.
“Any of these Kenyans could be exposed and could require an isolation and quarantine facility upon return to Kenya,” he said.
CS Duale added that Kenya has enough Ebola testing kits, reagents, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to manage around 200 patients.
Duale said the government has strengthened its preparedness measures and named four laboratories to carry out Ebola testing if the need arises.
Speaking to lawmakers on Wednesday, he told MPs that the government identified four facilities able to test for the virus, which he said qualifies as a high-risk pathogen.
“I wish to be very candid. While laboratory capacity is strong, the test kits, reagents, and personal protective equipment estimated to support the management of about 200 victims are in place,” Duale said.
He added that the government designated four labs for Ebola testing because of the virus’s extreme risk: the National Public Health Laboratory in Nairobi, the KEMRI laboratories in Nairobi and Kisumu, and the mobile laboratory in Busia.
Duale said these facilities use molecular testing technology, which supports rapid detection and diagnosis of suspected Ebola cases.
Source: NairobiWire.com | Read the Full Story…
