The three patients who were today quarantined in Nairobi and Mombasa have tested negative for the deadly coronavirus, the government has said.
The Ministry of Health said they are in “good general medical condition” and more tests will be conducted in South Africa.
Two of the three patients exhibited high fever after landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from China on Sunday and were isolated at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
One of the travellers was from Beijing and took a Kenya Airways flight in Dubai, while the other arrived from China aboard a China Southern Airlines plane.
The third patient, a Kenyan medical student, arrived from Guangzhou, China, on January 30 with chest pains and breathing problems.
She was admitted to Coast General Hospital and confined at the private Rahemtullah Wing.
“Following their identification, the three were isolated and appropriate samples collected for tests. The primary results are negative,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry reassured Kenyans that the country was free of the deadly virus that has left 304 people dead so far. The disease has spread to at least 17 countries and over 10,000 cases have been reported.
“…stringent measures have been put in place to prevent its importation into the country,” it added, urging those travelling from China to cooperate with health officials.
The deadly coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China and killed its first victim outside China in the Philippines on Saturday.
The Health Ministry has cautioned the public to remain vigilant and asked them to:
- Maintain basic hand and respiratory hygiene, and safe food practices.
- Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
- Go to the nearest health facility for assessment and prompt management if anyone is showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever, coughing, difficulty in breathing and sneezing with a history of recent travel to China?.
On Friday, Ministry of Health confirmed that the test results of its first suspected coronavirus case which were dispatched to South Africa for analysis returned negative.
Before being taken to South Africa, the samples were tested at the National Influenza Centre, but the ministry wanted a verification.
The student travelled from Wuhan to Zhangjiajie city before leaving for Nairobi through Guangzhou and Bangkok Thailand on January 27, landing at JKIA on Tuesday morning at 0615 hours.