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Mombasa sets up Ebola response centre to strengthen outbreak preparedness
13th July, 2026 11:29 PM
Mombasa County has opened a specialised Ebola training and response centre as part of efforts to strengthen preparedness for a possible outbreak.
The facility will first be used to train healthcare workers on how to detect and respond to Ebola cases before serving other emergency needs if required.
The new facility is fully equipped and can be converted into an isolation and treatment unit if the need arises. Mombasa has been listed among the counties considered most vulnerable because it is one of the country’s high-risk entry points for Ebola cases.
The training programme is beginning with healthcare workers, who will receive practical lessons on identifying suspected cases and responding to possible outbreaks. The facility is expected to help improve the county’s readiness to deal with any public health emergency involving the Ebola virus.
Strengthening outbreak response
The opening of the centre comes as Kenya continues to improve its outbreak preparedness through training and emergency response planning. The facility has been set up to ensure health workers are ready to act quickly if a suspected Ebola case is reported.
Officials expect the centre to play a key role in preparing medical teams while also providing a space that can be turned into an isolation and treatment unit whenever necessary. The move is aimed at improving response capacity in one of the country’s busiest entry points.
The latest development comes after Kenyatta National Hospital carried out a simulation exercise to assess its emergency response capacity in the event of a suspected Ebola outbreak. The exercise formed part of the ongoing Kenya Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease simulation programme.
“The hospital has continued conducting the Kenya Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease (BVD) simulation exercises. Today’s exercise involved a simulated positive patient referred from Mbagathi Hospital and transported by ambulance to the Infectious Diseases Unit,” Kenyatta National Hospital said.
According to the hospital, the exercise involved a simulated patient who had tested positive before being referred from Mbagathi Hospital to the Infectious Diseases Unit at KNH. The exercise was designed to test how different teams would respond during a suspected Ebola emergency.
The opening of the Mombasa Ebola training and response centre and the recent simulation exercise at Kenyatta National Hospital are part of ongoing efforts to improve preparedness.
