Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a Kenyan citizen, who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo for seven years, died in Nairobi. The patient had been ill for about a month and received treatment at several hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo before traveling by road to Uganda and later flying to Nairobi. Health authorities reported that the patient arrived in Kenya on Saturday and passed through routine screening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
The patient was taken to Nairobi Hospital by a relative and later transferred to an isolation facility, where samples confirmed infection with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. According to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, the patient developed severe symptoms, including fever, chills, severe fatigue, and weakness, painful swallowing, muscle pain, and bleeding beneath the skin. Doctors suspected viral haemorrhagic fever due to his symptoms and travel history, prompting laboratory testing that confirmed Ebola Bundibugyo virus.
The patient died late on Monday and was scheduled to be buried on Tuesday under public health protocols designed to prevent further transmission. Kenyan health authorities have identified at least 28 people who had contact with the deceased, including relatives and healthcare workers. Officials are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the flight that brought the patient to Nairobi.
Health Ministry Director General Patrick Amoth said the patient may have passed through airport screening because medication had masked some of his symptoms. Duale urged Kenyans not to panic, saying the country had systems in place to respond to the disease. He also called on health workers to remain vigilant and maintain strict infection prevention and control measures.
The Kenyan case is linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Bundibugyo strain has caused thousands of infections and deaths. The outbreak was declared in May and has become the largest Ebola outbreak recorded in the country. Government figures show more than 8,000 confirmed cases and over 4,000 deaths by early October.
The disease has also been reported in Uganda, which recorded 20 cases and two deaths before the World Health Organisation declared the country Ebola-free in August. Kenya is now the third country linked to the current outbreak. The current outbreak is being driven by the relatively rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there is currently no proven vaccine or approved treatment.
Ebola is transmitted primarily through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people. The disease can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and, in severe cases, internal or external bleeding. Kenyan authorities have urged the public to remain calm while health teams continue contact tracing and surveillance following the country’s first confirmed case.
Key points
- The patient had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo for seven years before traveling to Nairobi, where he died from Ebola.
- The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has caused thousands of infections and deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- There is currently no proven vaccine or approved treatment specifically for Bundibugyo Ebola.
