Kenya Confirms First Ebola Case After Patient Dies in Nairobi

Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case on Tuesday after a Kenyan citizen who had traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo died in Nairobi.

Health Minister Aden Duale announced the patient, who had lived in Congo for seven years and fell ill about a month ago, died late Monday at Nairobi Hospital. The patient traveled by road from Congo to Kampala, Uganda, then flew to Nairobi on Saturday, October 3, on Jambojet flight JM8523. Upon arrival at Nairobi’s international airport, the patient passed through health screening and was later taken by a relative to Nairobi Hospital, where he was isolated after presenting with fever, chills, and bleeding beneath the skin.

Tests confirmed the Ebola Bundibugyo strain. Kenya is the fourth country to record a case linked to the current Ebola epidemic, which was declared in eastern Congo in mid-May. Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths earlier in the year but was declared Ebola-free in August, and a doctor who returned to France in June tested positive without further spread.

The outbreak in Congo has recorded over 8,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths. The Bundibugyo species of Ebola has no approved vaccine or treatment, though human trials for one vaccine launched in July. Health authorities have identified 28 contacts in Kenya, including relatives and healthcare workers, and are tracing 23 passengers and four crew members from the Jambojet flight.

The patient was scheduled for burial on Tuesday under protocols to prevent further spread. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is sending a high-level team to Kenya, and the World Health Organization is supporting Kenya and Uganda, recommending against travel restrictions. The Kenya Medical Research Institute states Kenya had never experienced an Ebola outbreak.