Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in Camels and Probable Spillover Infection to Humans in Kenya.

The majority of Kenya's > 3 million camels have antibodies against Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), although human infection in Africa is rare. We enrolled 243 camels aged 0-24 months from 33 homesteads in Northern Kenya and followed them between April 2018 to March 2020. We collected and tested camel nasal swabs for MERS-CoV RNA by RT-PCR followed by virus isolation and whole genome sequencing of positive samples. We also documented illnesses (respiratory or other) among the camels. Human camel handlers were also swabbed, screened for respiratory signs, and samples were tested for MERS-CoV by RT-PCR. We recorded 68 illnesses among 58 camels, of which 76.5% (52/68) were respiratory signs and the majority of illnesses (73.5% or 50/68) were recorded in 2019. Overall, 124/4692 (2.6%) camel swabs collected from 83 (34.2%) calves in 15 (45.5%) homesteads between April-September 2019 screened positive, while 22 calves (26.5%) recorded reinfections (second positive swab following ≥ 2 consecutive negative tests). Sequencing revealed a distinct Clade C2 virus that lacked the signature ORF4b deletions of other Clade C viruses. Three previously reported human PCR positive cases clustered with the camel infections in time and place, strongly suggesting sporadic transmission to humans during intense camel outbreaks in Northern Kenya.

COVID-19: knowledge, perception of risk, preparedness and vaccine acceptability among healthcare workers in Kenya.

Introduction: coronaviruses are highly contagious and healthcare workers are at a higher risk of contracting the disease. The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, risk perception, preparedness for coronavirus disease 2019 and vaccine acceptability among healthcare workers in Kenya. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2020 to January 2021. A link to an online self-administered questionnaire was disseminated to health workers across the country. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. Bivariate correlation analyses were used to determine associations between variables. P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: a total of 997 participants were enrolled in the study. About half (53%) of the participants were female. The mean age was 36.54 years (SD = 8.31) and 46% of the participants were aged between 31-40 years. The overall knowledge score of health workers for COVID-19 was 80%. Most of the health workers (89%) perceived that they were at high risk of infection. Seventy-two percent of the participants felt that they were either partially or fully prepared to handle patients with COVID-19. Overall, 71% of all health workers would take a vaccine if provided free by the government. Conclusion: health workers´ knowledge on transmission, clinical manifestations and risk factors for development of severe COVID-19 was good. Majority of the health workers perceived the risk of infection with COVID-19 as high and a significant number felt that they were not fully prepared to handle the pandemic. Majority of health workers would take a COVID-19 vaccine.