UoN medical experts spearhead development of guidelines on case management of COVID-19 in Kenya

Medical experts from the University of Nairobi (UoN) Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) spearheaded the development of guidelines on case management of COVID-19 in Kenya released by the Ministry of Health (MoH).

The team of experts that developed the guidelines was led by Dr. Loice Ombajo, senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi and Head of Infectious Disease Unit at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

Dr. Ombajo has been on the frontline of case management at KNH since the first case of coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported in Kenya in March 2020.

An earlier version of these guidelines was released by MoH in April 2020 and capacity building of health care workers on diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 was quickly carried out, even as counties prepared themselves by setting up isolation centres and supplies.

This enabled health care workers gain more knowledge on COVID-19 with regards to who is at risk for severe COVID-19, in addition to knowing what treatment works and, in some cases, what does not work.

The guidelines also helped MoH know which public health measures it needed to focus on in order to combat the pandemic.

The new version contains guidelines that provide updated recommendations for comprehensive prevention and case management strategies in Kenya covering infection, prevention, and control measures including the use of vaccines.

Other  members in the team that developed these guidelines are; Dr. Marybeth Maritim (UoN), Dr. Felix Riunga (Aga Khan University Hospital), Dr. Reuben Okioma (Nairobi Hospital), Dr. Anne Mugera (KNH), Dr. Fred Wangai (UoN), Dr. Christabel Khaemba (MoH), Dr. Duncan Nyukuri (KNH), Dr. Phoebe Juma (KNH), Dr. Agatha Olago (MoH), Dr. Andrew Owuor (KNH), Margaret Ogonga (KNH) and Dr. Rosemary Wanjiru (KNH).