Kenya Confirms First Ebola Case as Patient Dies
Health Minister Aden Duale said the patient arrived in Kenya on Saturday after travelling from Congo through Uganda. He was later isolated and treated at Nairobi Hospital after developing symptoms associated with viral hemorrhagic fever. He died late Monday while receiving treatment.
Authorities have identified 28 people who had contact with the patient, including relatives and healthcare workers involved in his care. Officials are also trying to locate 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight from Uganda to Nairobi.
The identified contacts will remain under monitoring and isolation for 21 days, according to Kenya's Health Ministry. Officials are using the period to watch for symptoms and determine whether the virus was transmitted to anyone during the patient's journey or after his arrival.
The patient had lived in the DRC for about seven years and had reportedly been ill for around a month before travelling to Kampala by road and boarding a flight to Nairobi.
Kenyan health officials said he was screened at the airport but was already receiving treatment, which meant the screening did not detect symptoms at the time. Relatives later took him to Nairobi Hospital in a private vehicle, where he was immediately isolated.
Kenya has increased surveillance at its border points as authorities work to prevent further transmission. The Health Ministry said it had tested 267 samples at five laboratories since May, with only one returning positive — the country's first confirmed case.
The case is linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, which is being caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus. Congo has recorded more than 8,000 confirmed cases and more than 4,000 deaths, making the outbreak the country's largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic.
Uganda previously reported 20 cases and two deaths during the outbreak but was declared Ebola-free in August. Kenya's case represents a renewed concern over the ability of the virus to cross borders through regional travel.
The Bundibugyo strain is relatively rare, and there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for it. Vaccine and treatment trials are underway in Congo's Ituri province, where the outbreak began.
Kenyan authorities have urged the public to remain calm while health teams conduct surveillance and contact tracing. The immediate focus is on identifying everyone who may have been exposed and preventing any further spread of the virus.
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