A patient exhibiting coronavirus-like symptoms has been admitted to Coast General Hospital private room in Mombasa.
The patient, a medical student from Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, had reportedly flown into the country on Thursday.
The outbreak of coronavirus in China has left at least 250 people dead and thousands hospitalised.
Mombasa County Chief Health Officer Khadija Shikely said on Sunday that blood samples from 24-year-old female student have been sent to Nairobi for “further analysis”.
“She is currently isolated in private room at Rehemtullah Ward. Her blood samples have been sent to Nairobi for analysis. She started feeling unwell while in China, complaining of chest pains and difficulty in breathing,” said Shikely.
At the same time, two other passengers with high fever were on Sunday quarantined at the Kenyatta National Hospital upon landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from China.
One of the passengers was from Beijing and took a Kenya Airways flight in Dubai, while the other arrived from China aboard a China Southern Airline plane.
Read: KQ Bows To Pressure, Suspends Flights To China Over Coronavirus Outbreak
The developments come just two days after Kenya Airways announced that it had suspended its flights to and from China over the outbreak of the deadly virus.
First suspected Coronavirus Case
On Tuesday, a student from China’s Wuhan town, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, was isolated after landing at JKIA, before being taken to Kenyatta National Hospital with coronavirus-like symptoms.
On Friday morning, outgoing Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki announced that the student tested negative for the virus.
According to the CS, samples taken from the student had been taken to South Africa for further analysis and tested negative.
Before being taken to South Africa the samples were tested at National Influenza but the ministry said it needed a verification.
Read Also: KQ Passenger With Coronavirus-Like Symptoms Isolated At Kenyatta Hospital
Recently, the Health Ministry disclosed that it had activated screening in all entry points to prevent entry of coronavirus into the country.
“As a country, we have sent an alert to all the 47 counties through county directors. We have also heightened surveillance at all points of entry and screening has started,” said Dr Patrick Amoth, the Acting Public Health Director-General.
The World Health Organization on Thursday declared Coronavirus a global health emergency leading to the cancellation of flights to and from China by a number of airlines.
Read Also: Coronavirus Fear: Gov’t Activates Screening Of Travelers At Entry Points
WHO explained that Coronaviruses, transmitted between animals and people, cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
Common signs of infection, according to WHO, include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
“Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing, ” a notice on WHO website reads.
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