Source: Africa Publicity
President William Ruto on Thursday said Kenya is mobilising regional and international support to prevent the spread of Ebola into the country following outbreaks reported in neighbouring states.
Speaking after a meeting with ambassadors, development partners, multilateral agencies and other stakeholders at State House, Nairobi, President Ruto said the government was intensifying preparedness efforts and coordinating a collective regional response to the health threat.
“At State House, Nairobi, I met Ambassadors, development partners, multilateral agencies, and key stakeholders to apprise them of Kenya’s preparedness, exchange views on the regional situation, and mobilise collective action to contain the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease,” Ruto said.
The President said surveillance and screening measures had been heightened across the country’s entry points, with authorities closely monitoring travellers entering Kenya.
“I am pleased that surveillance and screening measures have been intensified across 26 Points of Entry, with more than 58,000 travellers screened and all suspected cases tested so far returning negative,” he said.
Ruto added that the government had identified 17 isolation centres across the country as part of emergency preparedness measures.
He said Kenya was also working with development partners and international agencies to strengthen surveillance systems, emergency response mechanisms, laboratory capacity and cross-border coordination.
“We are also mobilising support with development partners for affected countries and frontline response institutions, including the World Health Organization, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United Nations system,” he said.
The President stressed the need for international cooperation in addressing public health threats, warning against isolationism.
“We agreed on the importance of cooperation and avoiding isolationism, recognising that public health threats do not respect borders and require coordinated regional and global action,” Ruto said.
He further announced that the government would establish a National Response Committee under the leadership of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to coordinate the country’s Ebola preparedness and response efforts.
Ruto maintained that Kenya would continue to act “transparently, responsibly, and decisively” to protect lives and support regional and global health security.
