Include Ebola in medical curiculum, clinical officers demand

Clinical officers have asked their council to have a unit in their curriculum dedicated to training on Ebola. 

Currently, the Kenya Medical Training College curriculum only mentions Ebola as part of viral hemorrhagic fevers, a diverse list of all diseases characterised by fever and bleeding disorders.

"But Ebola has become a major health concern to warrant an entire unit," said Austin Oduor, the current president of the Global Association of Clinical Officers, and a member of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers.

"It's the duty of the Ministry of Health through the Clinical Officers' Council to put more emphasis on updates required in the curriculum," he said.

Current training gives more prominence to conditions like HIV, TB  and Malaria, Oduor said. 

He appealed to Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache and acting Director General Dr John Masasabi, to ensure the changes are made.

"Special considerations should be to train the clinical officers and nurses who are the first to see patients," he told the Star.

After the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, thousands of qualified nurses and clinicians have undergone refresher training on Ebola preparedness and response across the country. 

Two weeks ago, Health CS Sicily Kariuki said the country is now ready to handle Ebola cases in case of an outbreak in the country.

“Because of its national and international concern and impact, we have moved in and invested. We have equipped hospitals, especially those near border posts and ensured they have the facilities required,” Kariuki said on Friday.

However, the country is placing more emphasis on preparedness with teams of health workers stationed at the borders to screen travellers.

WHO director general Tedros Ghebreyesus last week declared the Ebola outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern".

This is a rare designation only used for the gravest epidemics, and the move may encourage wealthy donor countries to provide more cash.

WHO says they are struggling with a shortfall of Sh5.4 billion to fight the disease in the DRC.

Following the announcement, the World Bank announced last week it would deploy a further $300 million toward the response.

But officials said another $200 million could be needed in the coming six months.

“The communities and health workers on the front line of this outbreak urgently need more support and resources from the international community to prevent this crisis from worsening inside the country and from spreading across borders,” said World Bank boss Kristalina Georgieva. 

Congo’s epidemic is the second-worst worldwide since West Africa’s Ebola outbreak in 2014-16, with more than 2,084 cases and 1,405 deaths since being declared in August.

The virus is highly contagious and kills at least half of all those who contract it.

It is transmitted to humans from wild animals and spreads among people through close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person.

(edited by O. Owino)