Water border crossings raise Ebola surveillance concerns

Even as the country steps up surveillance at ports of entry, the focus appears to be on airports and major land border crossings, with little or no attention paid to the country’s water bodies. Kenya shares water borders with Uganda and Tanzania, where fishermen, small-scale traders and locals cross regularly, often without checks. A spot check by Citizen TV at the Mulwanda crossing in Busia County reveals that residents from the two countries move freely, with no visible port health presence or screening of any form. The situation is raising concerns that this waterway loophole could expose the country to cross-border transmission of the Ebola virus. Mary Muoki with more.