The festive season in Kenya has always carried a hidden risk. As families gather, travellers crisscross the country, and revellers let down their guard, disease outbreaks often follow close behind.

Cases of food poisoning, cholera, dysentery and other illnesses linked to poor hygiene have emerged during past Christmas and New Year celebrations across the 47 counties, with some incidents going unreported. Outbreaks of communicable diseases, including cross-border cases entering through border points, have in the past caught medical and public health officers off guard. Some cases have turned fatal. Many others have resulted in days of hospitalisation.

This year, as Kenyans prepare to take the long annual holiday break, the government is urging the public to exercise caution and maintain high standards of hygiene.

Principal Secretary for Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni says 107,000 Community Health Promoters have been deployed to sensitise members of the public against lowering their guard while making merry.

“In the festive season, Kenyans should safeguard life and health. They should follow measures that would prevent the spread of infectious diseases, curb road accidents, over-indulgence in alcohol, food poisoning and also domestic violence,” the PS said on Wednesday.

She said the Community Health Promoters and public health officers are conducting campaigns on maintaining high health standards, while medics will be on standby in all public health facilities across the country to deal with any emerging cases.

In the past, disease outbreaks have been reported due to failure to maintain high standards of hygiene when preparing and handling food for family members and those in large gatherings. Food and water safety is among the issues that public health officers will be keen on over the next three weeks to curb the high infection and mortality rates reported in previous years.

Surveillance along transport corridors

Kenya’s geographical location and its position as a business leader in the East African region results in high cross-border trade and interaction with people from neighbouring countries, some of whom may have been exposed to deadly communicable diseases.

“The Ministry of Health is committed to strengthening disease surveillance along transport corridors to ensure early detection, rapid response, and coordinated action that protects communities and mobile populations across the region,” Muthoni said.

Long-distance truck drivers and traders have been subjected to screening at border posts in a bid to curb the spread of communicable diseases. “It is important to note that major transport routes influence public health issues and have a greater bearing on disease surveillance, access to healthcare, and the safety of communities along those routes,” she said.

The PS added that the government is committed to advancing stronger, health-secure, and economically vibrant transport corridors in Africa. Kenya is also a key global tourism destination, with the Maasai Mara, the Coast, Rift Valley, Western, Central, and Nairobi regions being popular choices for visitors. This poses additional health risks, necessitating screening at key border points.

Marburg threat

Kenya has been on high alert following the outbreak of the Marburg virus in neighbouring Tanzania and Ethiopia early this year.

The World Health Organisation has partnered with the Kenyan government to increase surveillance and preparedness in dealing with emerging cases. Measures put in place include development of case management guidelines, enhanced screening at points of entry, laboratory network activation, equipping facilities with protective gear, and training health officers in infection control.

In 2019, there was a health scare in the country when patients exhibiting symptoms similar to Ebola cases in neighbouring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo were reportedly identified in Kenya. Port Health officers undertook rigorous reverse screening to ensure everyone was safe and borders were secure from the spread of Ebola Virus Disease. Surveillance teams were activated in Kisumu, Eldoret, Kericho, Mombasa, Malaba, and Nakuru.

Prof Elijah Maritim Songok, the Director General of the Kenya Medical Research Institute, says the institute has played a critical role in testing samples from affected persons to confirm actual infections.

“Kemri has lately strengthened its clinical, biomedical, public health, and health systems research to generate evidence-based solutions and enhanced disease surveillance systems to proactively safeguard public health,” Professor Songok said.

Hygiene at home

Muthoni said the Epuka Uchafu, Afya Nyumbani initiative would be strengthened to address sanitation and hygiene at household level as a cornerstone of disease prevention. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infections, including HIV/Aids, due to careless sexual behaviour accelerated by drinking binges is another issue the government is keen on containing through ongoing campaigns.

Healthcare access concerns

The government has been working to enhance Universal Health Care to reach all Kenyans, but questions have been raised over the operationalisation of the Social Health Authority (SHA) medical cover.

Many Kenyans have complained that they have been locked out of access to medical services and treatment in most private hospitals, as the system favours public facilities that lack specialised services and are often without drugs.

President William Ruto, however, insists that the SHA system is superior to the defunct National Health Insurance Fund and is working, even as indications on the ground suggest the system is fraught with challenges.