Letter from Mogadishu: Nairobi Ebola virus case has the region sneezing

The confirmation of Kenya’s first Ebola virus case has the entire region on tenterhooks and literally sneezing, including Somalia, whose gateway to the East African Community is Nairobi.

There is a famous saying that goes When America coughs, Britain gets a cold.

The same can be said about Kenya and the neighbouring countries.

The Federal Government of Somalia also swung into action, strengthening surveillance and emergency preparedness for the virus after Kenya reported its first case.

Mogadishu already had elaborate measures on how to deal with Ebola, which have been in place since the beginning of the year when the virus was virulent in the region, particularly in DR Congo and Uganda.

However, the country’s health ministry said Somalia was monitoring the regional situation, and the movement of people across East African borders had prompted it to strengthen preparedness and ensure suspected cases can be detected and investigated quickly.

Source: Standard