How Kenya Cheated Ebola

In the year 2014 there was an Ebola epidemic that ravished some countries in West Africa. When the rest of Africa considered their overstretched health infrastructure, they knew that it was going to get worse before it gets any better. They prayed that the virus doesn’t reach their country or hoped that it doesn’t, and if it does it infects others and not us. Within months the health infrastructure of the affected countries had literally collapsed. This was compounded by the characteristic lethargic response of the international community to humanitarian emergencies in Africa.  Now the Ebola virus had without a visa or invitation found its way to Western Europe and North America. Seven months down and Ebola had not reached Kenya, but its fear had. If left unchecked the fear of Ebola would have been worse than Ebola itself. For from fear rumors spread, misinformation abounds and lies become facts. Kenya cheated Ebola by hoping for the best, preparing for the worst and elaborate protocols to face the threat of Ebola.

There was no expert in fighting Ebola and everyone was vulnerable. From the poorest and conflict ridden countries in Africa to the most developed western country. In Spain a plane load of passengers is quarantined for fear that one of the passengers might be infected but fails a nurse who was not supervised as she took her protective gear off. In North America an Ebola patient is left unattended for hours in an emergency reception area and several nurses are left to attend an Ebola infected person without protective gear. Remember this is after the medical authorities in these countries had sent memo after memo on Ebola to hospitals. How many memos have been sent in Kenya to hospitals and neighborhood clinics on Ebola? When a patient from South Sudan is suspected of being sick, her plane is not quarantined, she is not met by an Ebola emergency unit complete with protective gear and worse still, the other passengers on the plane cannot be traced. It is in the backdrop of this that the ministry of health was compelled to not only act but be seen to act. 

The Kenyan fight against Ebola was led by the military! This is because of the discipline, precision and organizational integrity that was required to effectively vanquish any Ebola threat. 

Potential players in the fight against Ebola were identified, from major hospitals to neighborhood clinics, from doctors to nurses, the military to the police and National Youth Service, from ambulance drivers to mortuary attendants, flight attendants to matatu touts, community health workers to Kenya Red Cross and international agencies, mainstream media and social media alike. Individuals from all these areas were carefully picked to form a coordinated technical team, bringing all this stakeholders under one command in matters Ebola. This technical team oversaw the creation of an emergency response procedure, logistics and supplies systems, tracking of infection spread and all other containment protocols. It was tasked with coming up with communication tools, facilitating a coordinated information flow. This team also constituted an emergency response unit as first responders, complete with their own ambulance, a designated and equipped quarantine facility on stanby, a media briefing team and training manuals for the different players. They also supervised the training, simulation and onsite drills at airports, hospitals, malls etc. 

Of course a Kenyan triumph over a national challenge would not be complete without an ICT based solution and the fight against Ebola was no different. The ministry of health sponsored a web and mobile based application to spread reliable information from the top and gather feedback from the public as well. The application also allowed for real-time tracking of an Ebola spread and awareness of the same. For example availability of the information from a patient of where they have been, people they had been in contact with and a time log of activities as well. This info would be uploaded for public consumption and the public would respond by logging their own activities as well to see if it corresponds with a particular place like a mall or matatu that the patient had been. So the public were fully aware if they had been in the same place, at the same time and date with an infected person and if so seek help early. 

Ebola was not just a deadly disease, it’s the deathly stigma associated with it, its attack on social customs and traditions. Its annihilation of a countries health infrastructure, Ebola was an economic catastrophe to countries and had just as crucial implication on security. It was therefore important to wake up to reality and be ready for any scenario. That anyone infected, whose not exhibiting any  symptoms could just walk through a border point, that they might first seek help from a chemist or a neighborhood dispensary before going to a hospital, might call an ambulance or walk into an emergency room while highly infectious, board a crowded matatu or boda boda. That Ebola might be in Kenya for weeks before we even realize it’s here. That fighting Ebola is just as much countering fears, rumors and misinformation with the truth and facts. It’s about minimizing panic with foreknowledge and readiness, potential chaos with calm, collected and confident approach.