Kenya reports its first Ebola death as the outbreak spreads
Story By Staff Reporter
Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola case. The patient was a Kenyan citizen who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for seven years. Health Minister Aden Duale said the man fell ill a month ago. Several hospitals in DR Congo treated him. He died days after arriving in Nairobi.
How the patient reached Nairobi
The man travelled by road from DR Congo to Kampala, Uganda. There he boarded a flight to Nairobi. He landed on Saturday and went through normal screening at the main airport. A relative then took him to a hospital in the city.
A senior health ministry official said the man may have passed screening because his medication masked his symptoms.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Staff at Nairobi Hospital moved him to an isolation facility built during the Covid-19 pandemic. There he developed fever, chills, intense fatigue, painful swallowing, muscle pain and bleeding under the skin. Doctors suspected a viral haemorrhagic fever based on his symptoms and travel history. They collected samples, and the tests came back positive for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola.
He died at 23:30 on Monday. Officials buried him on Tuesday, following public health safety protocols.
Kenya’s response
Authorities have identified at least 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers. They are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members from the same flight.
Kenya tightened checks at airports and border posts when DR Congo declared its outbreak. It has now stepped them up further. Duale urged Kenyans not to panic and said all systems are in place. He also told health workers to stay extra vigilant and keep infection control at the highest level, whatever condition they treat.
The outbreak in DR Congo
The WHO has recorded 8,544 cases and 4,114 deaths. This is the largest outbreak ever recorded in DR Congo, where Ebola was first discovered in 1976. It is also the second deadliest known outbreak anywhere.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) believes the real toll could be higher. Gaps in surveillance and testing in the war-torn country hide cases.
On Monday, MSF said the virus was spreading “like a megafire”. New hotspots are emerging in North Kivu province, which borders Ituri, where the virus began. The situation there has intensified dramatically since early September. North Kivu now accounts for nearly 40% of new confirmed cases nationwide.
Uganda also reported cases shortly after DR Congo declared the outbreak in May, and two people died. The WHO declared Uganda free of the disease in August. Since then, all known cases have been in DR Congo.
About the virus
Ebola spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit. The Bundibugyo species is relatively rare. No approved vaccine or treatment exists. Four vaccines are in development, and human trials for one began in July.
Conflict and health care in eastern DR Congo
Decades of conflict have riven eastern DR Congo. Multiple rebel groups operate there amid ethnic tensions and fights for political power and valuable natural resources. The crisis has killed and displaced millions. It has also hampered the country’s ability to build and maintain functional health care systems and infrastructure.
Reporting based on original coverage by BBC.
