Kenya’s second Ebola victim buried under strict protection
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on The Standard
Kenya’s second Ebola death, a 65-year-old woman, was buried under strict infection-prevention measures. Health teams adapted Muslim rites to safety requirements to limit transmission risks, according to the Kenya Red Cross cited by The Standard.
Kenya’s second Ebola victim, a 65-year-old woman who died on Friday, was buried on Saturday under strict health protection measures at Lang’ata Cemetery in Nairobi. Health teams including the Kenya Red Cross applied strict protocols to limit the risk of transmission, The Standard reports.
The deceased was a close relative of Kenya’s first patient and was reportedly his mother. Trained staff wearing personal protective equipment disinfected the body before placing it in a special body bag and transporting it to the burial site. Relatives were not allowed direct contact with the body.
The teams adapted Muslim funeral rites as far as safety allowed. The body could be wrapped in a shroud, the kafan, while ritual washing, or ghusl, could be omitted if it required direct contact. Paul Olale, technical lead for public health emergencies at the Kenya Red Cross, said customs could not take precedence over prevention protocols, according to The Standard.
The burial came after a second Ebola case in Kenya was confirmed on 14 October, followed by the announcement of two deaths among nine confirmed cases on 23 October. The victim died despite quarantine, according to information published the previous day.
