Health teams undergo training to strengthen Ebola preparedness

Health teams undergo training to strengthen Ebola preparedness

The programme brings together a multidisciplinary team of health experts, including epidemiologists, clinicians, laboratory personnel, logisticians, and risk communication specialists.

Kenya is stepping up preparedness against Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) as the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI) rolls out an Integrated Rapid Response Team training programme in Trans Nzoia County to boost early detection, prevention, and outbreak response capacity.
The week-long training, also taking place in Turkana County with support from the US Department of State-funded STRIDES initiative, targets high-risk counties identified due to their proximity to the Uganda border and high levels of cross-border movement.
The programme brings together a multidisciplinary team of health experts, including epidemiologists, clinicians, laboratory personnel, logisticians, and risk communication specialists.
It focuses on strengthening surveillance systems, improving screening at points of entry, enhancing contact tracing, and reinforcing infection prevention and control measures.
Participants are also being trained on outbreak investigation, case management, and community engagement, alongside practical simulations on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), patient triage, sample handling, safe burials, and isolation procedures.
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County health officials have welcomed the initiative, noting that it will strengthen local capacity to respond swiftly to public health emergencies.
KNPHI leadership has also been praised for advancing a proactive preparedness strategy aligned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Africa CDC guidelines.
Although Kenya has not reported any Ebola cases, authorities have heightened surveillance following ongoing outbreaks of the Bundibugyo strain in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which the WHO has classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
KNPHI says the training is part of its broader mandate to enhance national readiness, coordination, and rapid response to emerging infectious disease threats.

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