(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Country not vulnerable to disease just because it is in Africa says Kenyan ambassador Kenya is not vulnerable to the Ebola outbreak “just because it is in Africa” said the Kenyan Ambassador to the UAE on Wednesday. Misconceptions have to be corrected he said.
The Kenyan government has suspended its national carrier Kenya Airways’ daily flights to Sierra Leone and Liberia since August 19 over Ebola fears Mohammed Gello said.
“There is no way for West Africans to come to Kenya except by air. All 76 flights to and from West Africa every week are operated by Kenya Airways Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir ... We suspended our daily flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone to minimise the risk.
“West Africans do not come to Kenya. They take Kenya as a transit point on their way to the UAE and India” he said. No Ebola cases have been recorded in Kenya so far he stressed.
In an interview with Khaleej Times the ambassador said that “adequate” public health measures have been instituted by Kenyan authorities to make sure that the country remains Ebola-free.
“Passengers from West African countries go for screening at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). A special unit comprising a 100 public health workers trained to handle Ebola emergencies have been deployed at JKIA to spot any possible suspect of Ebola cases. Tests are being conducted at Jomo Kenyatta National Hospital and Mbagathi District Hospital for passengers showing symptoms of Ebola. Anyone showing signs of Ebola infection is immediately put in isolation at the airport” the ambassador said.
“We have not recorded a case of Ebola in Kenya. We are training 200 more public health workers to handle Ebola emergencies to do pre-departure screening in order to minimise the risks” he added. Kenya tourism
Kenya which is home to spectacular wildlife reserves — particularly Masai Mara’s safari destination — has 54 parks that attract tourists from around the world.
Ambassador Gello said Ebola has not affected tourism “in any way”. “Our tourism industry is anchored on two traditional tourism partners: the UAE and the Gulf and Europe ... Our tourism industry is banking on our good weather wildlife and our (hospitable) people.”
He said the proof of the country’s long standing relationship with the Gulf is that the Kenyan government has made it mandatory that only Muslims can slaughter animals. It is a crime to sell non-halal food for public consumption he said.
The UAE is the seventh largest source of tourists for Kenya after the US the UK India Italy Germany and Uganda.
He said the number of tourists from the UAE rose to over 8000 in the first quarter of 2014 as compared to 6500 in the same period in 2013.
— lilykhaleejtimes.com
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