Kenya confirms second yellow fever case

Kenya's health officials on Thursday confirmed another case of yellow fever in Nairobi, a day after the health ministry sent an alert following a man's death.

Jackson Kioko, Acting Director of medical services at the health ministry, said the victim, who has been working as a shopkeeper in Angola for ten years, arrived in the country on Saturday through Ethiopia, and upon screening at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), he was found with the disease's symptoms.

Kioko said the samples, sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), were confirmed to contain the acute viral disease, but he assured the patient was stable.

"We have confirmed the second case of yellow fever. Even though it has been confirmed that he has yellow fever, his condition is stable and he will be fine," said the official.

A 31-year-old man, who had also arrived from Angola, died at the Kenyatta National Hospital on Wednesday.

Nairobi County Chief Officer Samson Ochola said the county has vaccinated 3,800 people, mainly travelers, in the past month, and that 7,000 vaccine doses are in stock.

"We are working closely with the national government to heighten the alert on disease surveillance. We have enough stock of the yellow fever vaccine. We also have resources to scale it up if it needs be," Ochola said.

Kenya is classified as a low risk country for yellow fever infection with the last outbreak having occurred in 1992.

The ministry said there is currently no evidence of local transmission of yellow fever virus, and the patient acquired the infection before arriving into the country.

Once contracted, the virus incubates in the body for three to six days followed by illness, whose symptoms include fever, muscle pain with prominent backache, headache, shivers, loss of appetite and nausea.

In severe cases patients develop jaundice and bleeding. Health officials said vaccination is the single most important measure for preventing yellow fever. Enditem