Govt says suspected coronavirus patient at KNH in stable condition

Govt says suspected coronavirus patient at KNH in stable condition

The traveler who was quarantined at the Kenyatta National Hospital on suspicion of having contracted the deadly coronavirus is in stable condition, according to the Ministry of Health.

In a press address on Tuesday evening, outgoing Health CS Sicily Kariuki said upon examination, the male patient was found “to be in stable condition with all vital signs within normal ranges.”

The CS further disclosed that appropriate specimens had been collected from the said patient for further scrutiny at the National Influenza Centre.

“The suspected case remains in the isolation facility at KNH while investigations and laboratory tests are undertaken. So far, this is the only case,” said Sicily Kariuki.

According to the government, the man left Wunhan City on January 20, 2020 to Zhangjiajie City. He then left for Nairobi through Guangzhou, China and Bangkok, Thailand on January 27 and arrived at JKIA on Tuesday, January 28 at 6.15am.

The case was detected after the Health Ministry was informed of a passenger who had arrived from Guangzhou, China aboard a Kenya Airways flight who upon screening at JKIA was found to have fever.

“The traveller reported he had not been in contact with a known case of novel Coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV). He was immediately isolated in a temporary holding room at JKIA and later transferred to the Infectious Disease Unit at KNH for investigation and admission,” said the Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, in Gatundu North, Kiambu County, fears of coronavirus were allayed after three Chinese nationals who had been whisked away for testing on suspicion of having been infected with the virus tested negative.

The government has urged members of the public to maintain basic hand and respiratory hygiene, safe food practices and avoid contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.

In addition, anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever, coughing, difficulty in breathing and sneezing and has recently travelled to China is advised to seek urgent medical attention.

By Tuesday, January 28, the coronavirus had claimed 106 lives in China.

Of the 4630 confirmed cases by the World Health Organization (WHO), 98% are in China. There are also 6973 suspected cases  and 73 recoveries, according to WHO.

The World Health Organization remains confident in China’s epidemic prevention and control ability and has called upon the international community to remain calm and not to overreact.

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