Nairobi: (News Desk) – Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a Kenyan citizen who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo died in Nairobi, Health Minister Aden Duale said on Tuesday.
Kenya is the fourth country to report a case linked to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, which has become the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record, with more than 8,000 cases reported.
The patient, who had lived in Congo for seven years, had reportedly been ill for about a month before travelling by road to Kampala, Uganda, and later flying to Nairobi on Saturday.
After arriving at Nairobi’s international airport, he underwent health screening before being taken to Nairobi Hospital by a relative.
Duale said the man was admitted with fever, chills and bleeding beneath the skin and was immediately placed in isolation. He died late on Monday.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it was sending a high-level team to Kenya to support the country’s response, describing the case as a reminder of the need for sustained preparedness across the region.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO was supporting the Kenyan and Ugandan governments and advised against imposing travel restrictions on countries affected by the outbreak.
Contact Tracing Underway
Kenyan health authorities have identified 28 people who came into contact with the patient in the country, including relatives and healthcare workers.
Officials are also attempting to trace 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the Jambojet flight that carried the patient to Kenya.
The patient was scheduled to be buried on Tuesday under special protocols intended to prevent further transmission of the virus.
Duale said nearly 5,000 healthcare workers across Kenya had received training on Ebola prevention and management.
Julien Harneis, the UN’s senior Ebola coordinator, said he expected Kenya to mount a strong health response to contain the disease.
However, the case has raised questions over how the patient crossed international borders despite measures intended to detect and contain Ebola.
Kenya’s Director General for Health, Patrick Amoth, said the patient may have passed through airport screening because medication had temporarily masked his symptoms.
It also remained unclear how the man entered Uganda from Congo, as the border has reportedly been closed since May.
The Africa CDC said the patient spent a night in Uganda before travelling to Kenya. Ugandan government spokesperson Alan Kasujja said authorities were unaware of the man’s condition while he was in the country.
US Ebola Quarantine Facility in Kenya
Following the outbreak in Congo, the United States established a 50-bed Ebola quarantine facility at an air force base in central Kenya for US citizens.
The facility is currently empty and has accommodated only seven people since it was established. Kenyan officials have said it could potentially be used for Kenyans and other nationalities, although the US government has not confirmed such an arrangement.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people, including those who have died from the disease.
Symptoms can include fever, vomiting and diarrhoea, while severe cases can result in internal and external bleeding.
The Ebola outbreak in Congo was officially declared in mid-May, although health authorities believe it may have begun several months earlier. The outbreak is associated with the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus and has been blamed for more than 4,000 deaths.
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