Two die in Kenya protests against Ebola center
Two people died on Monday in central Kenya during protests against the creation by the US of a quarantine center for Ebola patients at the Laikipia military base.
This was reported by Reuters, citing organizers and sources in the security services.
According to the agency, the circumstances of their deaths are unclear. Kenyan national police representatives have not yet commented on the situation.
Earlier, Citizen TV reported that hundreds of people took part in protests in the town of Nanyuki in central Kenya against the creation by the US of a quarantine center for American citizens who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Demonstrators lit fires, blocked traffic, and threw stones at law enforcement officers. Police used tear gas against them and detained at least five people.
The Kenyans portal previously reported that the High Court of Nairobi suspended the implementation of the project to create the center until the consideration of a lawsuit filed by human rights organizations and medical associations. The plaintiffs point to insufficient public discussion and possible risks to the country's healthcare system. Prior to this, Kenyan authorities approved the creation of the center, which at the first stage was to accommodate 50 beds with the possibility of expansion to 250 places in the future. American doctors who are undergoing training at Andrews military base in the US were to work at the center.
The Kenyan government states that the creation of the center is part of international efforts to increase preparedness for possible outbreaks of infectious diseases, while emphasizing that the country has the necessary infrastructure to control the spread of viruses.
In the DRC and Uganda, authorities announced an Ebola outbreak on May 15. The causative agent of the disease was the Ebola-Bundibugyo virus, first identified in Uganda in 2007. The epicenter of the current outbreak is Ituri province in eastern DRC; North and South Kivu provinces are also affected. The country has registered more than 1,000 suspected cases of infection and at least 240 suspected deaths. In Uganda, which borders Kenya, nine cases of infection have been identified and one death has been registered. No cases of infection have been identified in Kenya itself to date.
Source: TASS
