Kenya Confirms First Ebola Case Imported From Congo; Patient Dies
Kenya Confirms First Ebola Case Imported From Congo; Patient Dies
Kenya has recorded its first confirmed Ebola case, a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo and arrived in Nairobi on Saturday. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the Kenya Ebola case at a press conference on Tuesday, confirming the patient has since died.
Twenty-eight contacts have been identified so far, including family members and health workers, and tracing is under way.
How the Kenya Ebola case reached Nairobi
According to Duale, the patient had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the past seven years. He fell ill about a month ago and received treatment at several hospitals while still in the DRC.
He later travelled from the DRC to Kampala by road before boarding Jambojet flight 8523, which landed in Nairobi on Saturday, October 3, at 1.10pm. On arrival he underwent routine public health screening at the Port Health desk at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport before clearing immigration.
A relative and a friend then drove him directly from the airport to Nairobi Hospital. Staff there immediately isolated him in a separate room within the accident and emergency department, and he was later moved to the East Wing Isolation Facility, a unit built during the Covid-19 pandemic with intensive care capacity.
“The patient was given supportive treatment but regrettably passed on last night at 11.30pm,” Duale said. Arrangements for a safe and dignified burial were under way, to be carried out under Ebola public health protocols.
The outbreak behind the Kenya Ebola case
The case is linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo species. The outbreak was declared in mid-May but may have started months earlier, and it has resisted containment efforts. The DRC has recorded more than 8,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths.
The outbreak earlier spread to Uganda, which reported 20 cases and two deaths. The World Health Organization declared Uganda free of the disease in August.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, living or dead. It can cause fever, vomiting and diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding. Unlike some Ebola strains, there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo species, though early supportive care saves lives.
What happens next
Kenya sits on major regional transport routes, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has listed it among ten countries at risk from the DRC outbreak, alongside Rwanda, Tanzania, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Zambia. Countries on the list have been urged to strengthen surveillance, entry-point screening, laboratory capacity and isolation facilities.
In May, the United States approved an additional KSh 10.3 billion emergency funding package for partners responding to the Ebola outbreak in East Africa, aimed at protective equipment for health workers, border screening, contact tracing and diagnostic supplies.
Kenyan health officials say further details about the patient and the circumstances of the infection will be released in the coming days.
How did Kenya’s first Ebola case arrive in the country?
The patient travelled by road from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Kampala, then flew on Jambojet flight 8523 to Nairobi, landing on Saturday, October 3. He was screened at the airport before being driven to Nairobi Hospital.
How many contacts have been traced?
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said 28 contacts had been identified so far, including family members and health workers. Contact tracing is continuing.
How serious is the Ebola outbreak in Congo?
The DRC is battling its largest-ever Ebola outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo species, with more than 8,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency in May.
