The Ministry of Health has expressed concern over new symptoms being exhibited by Covid-19 patients.
The deadly virus has been known to cause cough, fever, muscle aches, headaches and difficulty breathing but new medical conditions are emerging that may complicate the fight against the disease.
According to Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, a significant number of patients are exhibiting non-typical flu-like symptoms, such as gastrointestinal distress syndrome that leads to loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, delirium and chickenpox like lesions.
Kenya cases have soared to 1,109 with the government projecting the Covid-19 peak to be between August and September with daily infections expected to hit 200.
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The government has also increased testing capacity by about 40 per cent. 80 people tested positive Thursday, the highest number of infections reported so far in a single day.
In other countries, infected persons are increasingly exhibiting new, less typical, non-respiratory symptoms, such as sudden strokes in young people and multi-system inflammatory symptoms, with features similar to those of Kawasaki Disease and toxic shock syndrome in children.
The cases are however confined to the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain and the United States.
“The cases have so far not been seen in Kenya. We nonetheless need to be cognizant of them, because, in each of these cases tested for antibodies, the results were positive, which indicate that the patients had been exposed to COVID-19. I would, therefore, like to encourage you, the public and our medics to be alive to these symptoms”, said Kagwe.
Re-emergence
The CS is also warning of reinfections for recovered patients with compromised Immunity.
The virus can between 30 to 50 days after initial recovery.
“Patients can indeed suffer infections more than once; because the virus can re-occur between 30 to 50 days after initial recovery. It has been found that this happens only in patients with compromised immune systems, which is why we should again be aware of these developments” he warns.
He notes that several countries are experiencing a re-emergence of the disease after they had successfully contained it.
Lebanon, Iran, South Korea, Germany, China and Ghana have reimposed measure after experiencing a rebound in new cases.
“I, therefore, urge Kenyans to keep the social distancing requirement, isolation and wearing of masks guidelines that the Ministry of Health has issued. This is to ensure we succeed in containing the disease without erasing our gains” Kagwe advises.
375 patients have so far recovered.
