NAIROBI, October 19 (ANI) — India on Monday handed over a second consignment of medical assistance, weighing 11 metric tons, to Kenya to strengthen the country’s ongoing Ebola preparedness and response efforts, stepping up humanitarian support for public health safety in East Africa.
India’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Adarsh Swaika, handed over the consignment to Mary Muthoni Muriuki, principal secretary for public health in Kenya, on Monday.
Detailing the diplomatic support, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) posted on X, “India hands over the second consignment of 11 tonnes of medical assistance to Kenya to strengthen Ebola preparedness and response.”
The 11-ton consignment includes essential equipment for containing the outbreak, including personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, powered air-purifying respirators, biosafety cabinets and cold-chain refrigerators. The supplies are intended to protect frontline medical staff while strengthening diagnostic laboratory standards and public health infrastructure.
Reiterating India’s commitment, the Indian High Commission in Kenya said in a post on X, “High Commissioner handed over the second consignment of medical assistance to Principal Secretary of Public Health of Kenya Mary Muthoni Muriuki today to support its Ebola preparedness and response, in continuation of the assistance provided in July this year.”
The mission added, “The 11-tonne consignment includes PPE kits, powered air-purifying respirators, biosafety cabinets and cold-chain refrigerators to protect frontline healthcare personnel and strengthen laboratory safety and public health capacity. India stands in solidarity with Kenya in its efforts in containing Ebola and remains committed to strengthening the longstanding bilateral partnership in healthcare.”
The medical assistance arrives as health authorities in Nairobi confirmed an eighth Ebola infection following a positive test result from a 49-year-old hospital worker.
Patrick Amoth, director-general of health at Kenya’s Ministry of Health, said the patient attendant was in isolation and that existing patients were showing signs of recovery.
He added that 38 people were tested on Sunday, with one testing positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes Ebola disease as a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates.
The virus can be transmitted to humans from wild animals, including fruit bats, porcupines and nonhuman primates. It then spreads through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, as well as with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. (ANI)
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