Kenya: Ebola Scare As Woman Dies At JKIA
By Adow Mohamed
A 33-year old businesswoman died at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from gynecological-related bleeding and not ebola or Marbug as feared. The woman died on Saturday night, shortly after she arrived from Juba, South Sudan.
The death caused a scare at the busy airport. Medical tests conducted yesterday on her blood samples at the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention laboratories were negative.
The woman, who hails from Gatundu, and whose name was not released to the media, is said to have died after massive bleeding. She was aboard a Fly540 flight that arrived at the airport at 6:45pm. Aircraft staff alerted the JKIA Port Health Centre officials.
Speaking at the airport yesterday, Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said the woman complained that she was feeling dizzy and started bleeding profusely minutes after she arrived.
"She was quickly quarantined at the screening centre in critical condition, until all tests were done. Doctors attempted to resuscitate her, but she unfortunately passed on at 8pm," he said.
Before the tests were done, there was panic at the airport. JKIA and the airline's management frantically tried to recall all passengers who had been aboard the plane for testing and quarantine, but most had already left.
Macharia admitted that there was a lapse at the facility before the woman was noticed as being severely sick. "Such cases ought to be reported even before the plane lands for appropriate measures to be taken. We must be very vigilant even with passengers on board before arrival," he warned.
The international arrivals terminal was deserted after word went round that a woman had died there. This inconvenienced many passengers for some time before the staff were assured of their safety and returned to continue offering services.
Health workers screening travelers for ebola at JKIA yesterday complained of poor equipment and lack of follow-up on passengers from ebola-hit countries after 21 days as required by World Health Organisation regulations.
Joseph Chege, a relative of the dead woman, said she has been unwell for some time and she was referred to Nairobi for further medical attention. He said she had an appointment with doctors at the Nairobi Hospital and was travelling back to Kenya from South Sudan for the check-up.
Director of Medical Services Nicholas Muraguri said the body was moved to a clinic within the airport. Dr Muraguri said the plane was also disinfected.
There was limited and controlled access to the clinic and its environs, where the passenger's body lay before it was released to family members yesterday. Another relative, who gave his name only as Maina, claimed the passenger died after she was neglected at the clinic for more than an hour.
"They left her to die as no one wanted to be close to her. Even health officials were not available to help her," he said. The airport is on high alert for any case of the viral disease that has so far killed more than 4,000 people in West Africa. Kenya Airways suspended its flights to parts of West Africa for fear of ebola.