Dr Ahmed Kalebi questions Ministry of Health's two-day silence on Kenya's Ebola outbreak

Dr Ahmed Kalebi questions Ministry of Health's two-day silence on Kenya's Ebola outbreak

Dr Ahmed Kalebi said the lack of communication from the Ministry had left him feeling uneasy, adding that members of the public, the media and the health community could also be seeking answers about the outbreak.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has been urged to issue daily updates on the Ebola outbreak in Kenya amid concerns over a two-day gap in public communication on new cases, test results and the progress of patients receiving treatment.

According to pathologist Dr Ahmed Kalebi, the lack of regular updates could fuel anxiety, speculation and rumours among the public, making it important for the Ministry to keep Kenyans informed even when there are no changes in the reported figures.

Ahmed raised the concern after two full days passed without a fresh public situation report on the outbreak.

The last update was issued by Health Director General Dr Patrick Amoth on Monday, October 26, bringing encouraging news that 20 contacts had completed their 21-day monitoring period and returned home in good health.

At the time, Kenya had recorded nine confirmed cases within a single cluster, two deaths and seven patients who were stable and receiving treatment. All 135 contacts had been traced, while 98 were still under monitoring.

Health Director General Dr Patrick Amoth. (Photo: KNPHI/Facebook)

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However, Ahmed questioned whether more tests had been conducted since the last update, whether any additional results had come back negative and how the patients receiving treatment were progressing.

He also pointed to the Kenya National Public Health Institute (NPHI) dashboard, which showed that 548 people had been tested. However, he said the dates and testing activity displayed made it difficult to determine how current the information was.

“Have further tests been done? Have all additional results been negative? How are the seven patients progressing?” he asked.

Ahmed said the lack of communication from the Ministry had left him feeling uneasy, adding that members of the public, the media and the health community could also be seeking answers about the outbreak.

He acknowledged that the silence could mean there were no new confirmed cases and that all patients remained stable, which would be welcome news.

“Perhaps there are no new confirmed cases and all the patients remain stable. That would be very good news. But on the other hand, the silence does leave some of us wondering whether something concerning is being investigated or awaiting confirmation before an announcement. God forbid!” he said.

Despite raising the concern, Ahmed cautioned that the absence of updates should not automatically be taken to mean the situation had worsened.

“Of course, silence is not evidence that something is wrong, but MoH must please update us daily!” he said.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale. (Photo: X/Ministry of Health)

He warned that communication gaps could create room for rumours and speculation, making it harder for the public to maintain trust and confidence in the authorities during the outbreak.

Ahmed noted that Uganda and Nigeria had been providing updates on contact monitoring and response activities, saying Kenya should also establish a clear and predictable system of public reporting.

“We in Kenya need a predictable daily public bulletin too, even when the figures remain unchanged. If something remains uncertain, MoH should acknowledge it,” he said.

He added that the daily reports would not need to be lengthy, provided they contained the main information the public needed to understand the situation.

According to Ahmed, the updates should state the number of tests conducted and their results, whether new cases had been confirmed, the progress of patients receiving treatment and the number of contacts still under monitoring.

He stressed that the Ministry should not withhold routine updates simply because the figures had not changed.

“No new confirmed cases” is still news. It should be stated in a dated daily public situation report, rather than left to be inferred from silence,” he said.