Mike Mwaniki
6 July 2009
Nairobi — The number of people confirmed to have been infected from swine flu has now risen to 15.
Although Public Health and Sanitation minister Beth Mugo Monday said the confirmed cases stood at six, the latest update from the World Health Organisation says the number now stands at 15.
Speaking in Nairobi, Mrs Mugo said three cases had been confirmed in Kisumu, two others in Nairobi while one case had occurred in Garissa.
The presence of H1N1 virus is notifiable to WHO, hence Kenya must inform the world body of any new development.
On Monday, Mrs Mugo said a majority of the cases involved people of British origin.
"Among the cases of influenza A H1N1 we have confirmed, one is of another British student who was in a group of four others who are in the country for field attachment...
"The other cases involve a young girl who is a UK citizen of Somali origin who had travelled to Garissa from Britain with her immediate family to visit their relatives. They are in Garissa and a total of 30 people mainly relatives are in quarantine awaiting results of their tests for the flu which will be expected to be released today,".
Kenya, with 15 cases, now joins South Africa (18) in the league of countries with the highest number of confirmed swine flu cases on the continent.
The first confirmed case involved a British student who arrived in the country last week in the company of 33 others.
The students, who were on field attachment, later travelled by bus on arrival from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
On Sunday, six of the students left discretely after they were ferried in small groups from Kisumu to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, to avoid suspicion from fellow travellers.
The six, all female, checked into the airport at 8am and departed shortly before midday.
On Monday, Mrs Mugo confirmed that the rest of the students left the country at 11am.
Meanwhile, the Nottingham University students will find a dramatically changed landscape when they get home as the Nottingham area has been declared a flu hotspot and the country has moved from trying to contain it to treatment.
This means the disease has moved from the phase where it can be contained to a level where treatment is the only option.
Despite the increase in the number of people infected by the H1N1 virus, Mrs Mugo urged Kenyans not to panic over the disease."At the same time, I would like to urge people to uphold high standards of hygiene like frequent washing of hands with soap, covering mouth and nose with disposable tissue when coughing or sneezing and avoiding touching of eyes, nose and mouth," the minister said.
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