Kenya has requested 10,000 doses of an Ebola vaccine, but they will be given to health workers first, Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth has said.
Amoth said Kenya had asked the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to help secure the vaccines.
The vaccine is likely to be Ervebo, which is being trialled for the Bundibugyo ebola variety. There is not enough evidence that it protects people against Bundibugyo, and WHO recommends its use against this strain only under a research protocol.
The outbreak has killed one person and infected eight others.
Amoth said the eight are receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and Nairobi Hospital, and that all were stable and responding well to treatment.
Kenya recorded its first case on October 6 after a Kenyan man who had been doing business in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) travelled through Entebbe, Uganda, before flying to Nairobi. He died about 48 hours after becoming ill, despite treatment.
Amoth said the government had identified all 135 people who had come into contact with the first patient, including a Ugandan who arrived on the Jambo Jet flight but left Kenya through Namanga.
“We listed 135 contacts, and we have been able to account for them 100 per cent,” he said. “The last being a citizen of our sister republic who exited our country, came by air but exited by road, leading to the delay in identifying the last contact.”
He spoke during a WHO Africa Region briefing on Thursday.
Amoth said the hospitalised patients had received a monoclonal antibody treatment called NB 134, followed by remdesivir, an antiviral drug given through a vein. A monoclonal antibody is a laboratory-made liquid substance designed to help the body fight a disease.
“All of them are doing well after receiving treatment with the compassionate monoclonal antibody NB 134,” he said. “Some of them are on the second and third days of intravenous remdesivir, and all of them are stable and responding very well.”
However, one patient experienced a drop in oxygen saturation and was given extra oxygen to help breathing and restore oxygen levels.
“One thing we noticed when we were giving the monoclonal antibody is that one of the patients had a desaturation and was managed with supplemental oxygen,” Amoth said. “Otherwise, we have not reported any adverse reaction to the medicine.”
The treatment is being given on a compassionate basis, meaning it is being used to help patients despite not being an established, licensed treatment specifically for Bundibugyo Ebola.
WHO has said there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for this strain, although research into possible treatments and vaccines is under way.
Amoth said the government had also faced difficulties finding and placing all contacts in quarantine, particularly in Nairobi, where people move frequently across the city.
He said a multi-agency team led by the Kenya Defence Forces had brought together telecommunications companies and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to help locate people who might have been exposed to the virus.
“Especially in the first few days, it was very, very difficult to get persons into quarantine,” he said. “But now, using intelligence and the telcos, we could map out where they are, and we got a lot of cooperation from the public.”
The Health ministry said the first group of contacts who entered quarantine on October 6 would begin leaving from this coming Sunday after completing the required 21 days without symptoms.
Other people are expected to be released the following week, depending on health assessments and when their monitoring period ends.
WHO Africa Regional Director Dr Mohamed Janabi said the outbreak requires cooperation between countries because the virus could cross borders through human movement.
“Ebola does not wait. It follows movement, exploits gaps and tests the strength of our health systems,” Janabi said. “Today, the test is no longer confined to one place. It is a regional concern that demands regional vigilance and collective resolve.”
Janabi praised Kenya for sharing information and declaring its outbreak early. He said WHO was working with national governments, Africa CDC and other partners to find cases quickly, monitor contacts and protect health workers.
He also warned that many people in the DRC had died outside treatment centres, showing the need to help sick people reach safe care earlier.
