An Italian man has been quarantined at Siha Hospital in Mpeketoni, Lamu County after he showed signs of Coronavirus on Thursday, March 19.
A report by Daily Nation stated that the Italian Man, aged 74, had arrived in the country from Rome, Italy. He had travelled into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines plane through Addis Ababa between March 3 and 4.
Italy is one of the countries most affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, with reports of over 31,000 infections and over 3,000 deaths so far.
From the Ethiopian Capital, the man took a flight to Mombasa, and then another to Malindi before travelling by bus to his residence in Mpeketoni where he lives with his wife, a Kenyan.
He took himself to the medical facility after when he started feeling ill. Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia informed that the patient had sought treatment for a high fever.
The commissioner has since stated that test samples from the Italian have been sent to Nairobi and they are waiting for results of a Coronavirus test.
“I can confirm that there is a suspected case of coronavirus in Mpeketoni. There’s nothing to worry about … Remember, it’s only the Cabinet Secretary for Health who can confirm a coronavirus case after thorough tests,” Macharia remarked.
The publication, informed by an official at Siha Hospital, confirmed that the 74-year-old was being held at the facility and would only be released upon treatment. The facility was closely monitoring his condition.
Taking note, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) have informed of the elderly being the most affected.
“He visited the hospital after falling sick. He had a very high fever. His travel history forced us to isolate him immediately. He returned to Kenya recently after visiting Italy which is one of the countries affected by Covid-19,
“Though in a stable condition, we have had to extract his blood sample and send it to Nairobi for coronavirus checks. People shouldn’t be worried. Let’s wait for the results. In the meantime, the man will remain confined at our facility for observation,” the official stated.
As of March 19, 2020, Kenya has 7 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, with the government tracking those suspected to have come into contact with the patients.
