Swine flu patients taken to Kenyan capital to fly home to UK Sunday

Monday, July 6, 2009

The 34 British medical students who had been quarantined due to A(H1N1) flu virus in the Kenyan lakeside town of Kisumu were transported to the capital city of Nairobi amid tight police security on Sunday.

The students, who have completed their courses of Tamiflu, are expected to fly back to the United Kingdom Sunday, ending their one week ordeal in Kenya East Africa.

The government’s swift response to contain the disease has been impressive.

The World Health Organisation, which collects data on all laboratory confirmed cases of the flu put the number of visiting students who became infected at 12. The infection spread from their fellow medical student who was originally infected in Nottingham from his girlfriend there. Public Health and Sanitation Minister Beth Mugo reported that it was Kenya’s first case of A(H1N1). Test results of the primary school children who had come into contact with the students during their visit are awaited.

In a further twist, eight more people are suspected to have the H1N1 virus in the north eastern town of Garissa. The eight are reported to have arrived in Kenya from the UK. If confirmed they will bring the total number of swine flu cases reported in Kenya to 20.