West pokot: West Pokot County has increased its efforts to prepare for the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) by training 30 frontline healthcare workers from facilities in the county’s border areas. This training aims to enhance the county’s readiness to respond to potential Ebola cases effectively.
According to Kenya News Agency, the five-day training session, which ran from August 31 to September 4, 2026, was specifically directed at healthcare workers from the Kacheliba and Pokot North sub-counties. These areas are considered particularly vulnerable due to their proximity to Uganda and the frequent movement of people across the porous border. The Core Group Partners Project (CGPP), in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the West Pokot County Department of Health, and other health partners, organized the training.
The participants, including nurses, clinicians, public health officers, laboratory technologists, and community health assistants, were instructed using approved Ebola preparedness modules. The training focused on vital areas such as infection prevention and control (IPC), risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), case management, and disease surveillance.
Health officials emphasized the importance of this exercise in equipping frontline workers with the skills to identify, isolate, manage, and report suspected cases promptly. West Pokot County Executive Committee Member for Health and Sanitation, Claire Parklea, highlighted the county’s high-risk status due to its proximity to Uganda. She stressed that the training was essential for enhancing the county’s ability to respond rapidly to any suspected Ebola case.
Parklea stated that while no Ebola case has been reported in West Pokot, preparedness is crucial due to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the region’s cross-border population movement. She affirmed that the training had significantly boosted the county’s readiness to handle suspected cases, and she noted that continued community engagement would be central to the preparedness strategy.
The county plans to use public forums and local radio stations to disseminate accurate information about Ebola and prevent misinformation and panic. These preparedness measures come in response to a rapidly evolving Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that, as of August 26, the outbreak had spread to 60 health zones across six provinces, resulting in 5,794 confirmed cases and 2,786 deaths. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has also affected Uganda, with the last confirmed case identified on June 21, 2026.
IRC coordinator Abdi Jamal, who oversees the Core Group Partners Project in Turkana County, explained that the training was intended to prepare healthcare workers serving communities along the border adequately. He noted that the workers were trained in all major pillars of Ebola preparedness to enable them to respond aptly to suspected cases.
West Pokot County Disease Surveillance Coordinator Wilson Tarus mentioned that the county surveillance team remains on a 24-hour alert to detect and respond to any suspected Ebola case. He shared that suspected cases had been reported in Kacheliba’s northern parts, prompting swift responses by surveillance teams, though none of the cases have been confirmed as positive.
The training aimed to protect healthcare workers from increased risk when dealing with suspected Ebola cases without proper infection prevention and control measures. Ebola is primarily transmitted through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person after symptoms develop. It does not spread through the air like respiratory infections such as influenza or COVID-19.
Overall, the training has fortified the first line of defense against Ebola in West Pokot, especially in border areas, by ensuring healthcare workers are informed about the disease and equipped with practical skills to protect themselves, their patients, and the wider community.
