Coronavirus fears: 2 with high fever quarantined at KNH

A section of the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi County, as pictured on December 10, 2019. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• The precautionary measure was taken as a deadly coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has left 304 people dead so far.
• One of the travellers was from Beijing and took a Kenya Airways flight in Dubai, while the other arrived from China aboard a China Southern Airlines plane.
• Since emerging out of the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, the coronavirus has infected nearly 14,500 people across China and reached 24 countries.

By ELIZABETH MERAB
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By AFP
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Two people with a high fever were on Sunday quarantined at the Kenyatta National Hospital after landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from China.

The precautionary measure was taken as a deadly coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has left 304 people dead so far.

One of the travellers was from Beijing and took a Kenya Airways flight in Dubai, while the other arrived from China aboard a China Southern Airlines plane.

PREVIOUS CASES

This is the third such case in Kenya, the first having been of a student who travelled via Kenya Airways flight KQ886.

The unnamed student, in his early 20s, left Wuhan for Zhangjiajie City on January 20, travelled to Nairobi through Guangzhou in China and Bangkok in Thailand on January 27 and landed at the JKIA in Nairobi on January 28.

Health Cabinet Secretary reported on January 31 that tests validated in South Africa showed the student did not have the viurs.

The second case was reported in Mombasa County, where a female medical student from Southern Medical University in Guangzhou has been admitted to Coast General Hospital.

The student, who arrived on Thursday, is in a private room at the Rehemtullah Ward, Mombasa County Chief Health Officer Khadija Shikely said.

SO FAR

Since emerging out of the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, the coronavirus has infected nearly 14,500 people across China and spread to 24 countries.

Among the affected parts are Hong Kong, Australia, Cambodia, India, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore and South Korea.

The others are Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Canada, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Spain, the United Arab Emirates.

Many of the infections overseas have been of people who had travelled from Wuhan, an industrial hub of 11 million people, or surrounding areas of Hubei province.

Here is what you need to know about the SARS-like virus, that has left African countries scrambling to avert an outbreak.

Meanwhile, China's central bank said Sunday it would pump 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 bln) into the economy as it ramps up support for a nationwide fight against a deadly virus that is expected to hit growth.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said in a statement it would launch a 1.2 trillion yuan reverse repurchase operation on Monday to maintain "reasonable and abundant liquidity" in the banking system, as well as a stable currency market, during the epidemic.