MOMBASA, Kenya – Calls to protect medics have intensified as Kenya grapples with the Bundibugyo Ebola virus strain.
Health professionals attending the 43rd Annual Kenya Dental Association (KDA) Scientific Conference in Mombasa raised concerns over the disease response measures for the frontline workers, demanding adequate protective gear.
Kenya Medical Association (KMA) President Dr Ibrahim Matende said protection of health workers is non-negotiable.
“Government must take responsibility in the protection of medics. It must double its efforts by ensuring medics have proper PPEs and all other tools for fighting Ebola,” said Dr Matende.
Matende urged healthcare workers to prioritise their own safety, noting that medics do not have the luxury of knowing a patient’s travel history before exposure.
“You do not have the liberty to know the case until you have been exposed. It is not that somebody tells you a patient is coming, and this is not only the medics, but even the dental patients who come to you do not tell you where they travelled.
“Medics are not a luxury, government must put the right resources towards that problem. I need PPEs, I need humane isolation, and I need effort in providing relevant medication,” he added.
The three-day conference, jointly held with the World Dental Federation (FDI) Africa Regional Congress under the theme ‘Advancing Dentistry in Africa’, brought together dental and medical professionals from across the continent.
Ebola cases in Kenya
As of October 20, the Ministry of Health had confirmed nine Ebola cases, including the first imported case from the Democratic Republic of Congo. All subsequent cases were linked to the index case and are under quarantine.
The Ministry said there was no evidence of community transmission, with 134 of 135 contacts traced and eight patients receiving supportive care.
Former World Medical Association (WMA) President Dr Jacqueline Kitulu said oral health remains neglected in Africa yet is integral to Universal Health Coverage.
“Yet across much of Africa, it still does not receive the priority it deserves. If we are serious about Universal Health Coverage, oral health must be part of comprehensive people-centred primary health care,” Dr Kitulu said.
She called for investment in the dental workforce, embrace of digital health and AI guided by ethics, and stronger African voices in global health policy.
KDA President Dr Kahura Mundia said the congress offers a platform to exchange knowledge and shape the future of oral healthcare in Africa.
“Our theme challenges us to consider what advancing dentistry in Africa means. It calls for clinical excellence and innovation, but equally for greater access to oral health and strong professional standards,” Dr Mundia said.
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