The Ministry of Health says that Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola patient likely passed through port health screenings undetected because medications he was taking may have masked his symptoms. Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth explained that the patient had been unwell for nearly a month and received treatment at multiple medical centers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) before traveling through Uganda to Kenya. “We believe that the patient knew that he was already ill, and he reached out to his relatives, who transported him from the airport to the hospital directly,” Amoth said. “It is potentially possible that some of the medications that he was taking could be able to mask some of the symptoms and therefore give a false negative screening, meaning you could pass through the system because you have taken a medicine, say for example, to lower your temperature.” Amoth noted that the patient’s decision to seek immediate emergency care upon arrival showed clear awareness of his worsening condition. Arrival and Hospitalization Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed that the individual, a Kenyan citizen returning home, underwent normal public health protocols at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) before passing through immigration. A relative and a friend picked him up directly from JKIA and drove him to Nairobi Hospital. Upon arrival, medical staf...
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