Kenya Health Workers Demand Safety After First Ebola Death

The umbrella organization representing doctors, pharmacists, and dentists in the country, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists' Union (KMPDU), has called on the government to take urgent steps to protect healthcare workers. The call follows the confirmation of Kenya's first imported case of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease and the subsequent death of the patient in Nairobi. In a statement, the union said healthcare workers who may have come into contact with the patient at Nairobi Hospital or other health facilities must be immediately identified and monitored. The union also called for rigorous, timely, and transparent contact tracing, urging authorities to provide regular and accurate information to healthcare workers and the public on the progress of the response. "Our healthcare workers must not be the weakest link in our response. They must be our first line of protection," said KMPDU Secretary-General Davji Bhimji Atellah.