Kenya confirms first-ever Ebola case after patient dies in Nairobi

Kenya has confirmed its first recorded case of Ebola after a Kenyan man who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive and died in Nairobi.

Health Minister Aden Duale announced the case on Tuesday as authorities began tracing people who may have been exposed.

The patient had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for about seven years and became ill roughly a month before travelling back to Kenya.

He travelled by road from Congo through Uganda before flying from Kampala to Nairobi.

The man passed through airport health screening without being identified as a suspected Ebola case, reportedly because medication may have temporarily masked some symptoms.

He was later admitted to Nairobi Hospital with symptoms including fever, chills and bleeding beneath the skin.

He was isolated but died on Monday night.

Authorities trace contacts

Kenyan authorities have identified 28 contacts, including relatives and healthcare workers, for monitoring and isolation.

Officials are also tracing passengers and crew members who travelled on the same flight as the patient.

The deceased is expected to be buried under Ebola-safe burial procedures.

Kenya has increased screening and surveillance at borders and other points of entry as authorities try to prevent further transmission.

Importantly, confirmation of one imported case does not by itself establish that community transmission is occurring in Kenya.

Case linked to DRC Ebola outbreak

The infection is linked to the major Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

WHO reported on September 25 that Congo had recorded 7,890 confirmed cases and 3,799 deaths as of September 23, with infections spread across 63 health zones in seven provinces.

Kenya had not recorded a Bundibugyo Ebola case as recently as September 9, when WHO reported that the country was strengthening preparedness at its western border because of regional transmission.

WHO says Bundibugyo Ebola spreads between people through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids of infected people, as well as contaminated materials.

The incubation period can range from two to 21 days, and infected people are not considered infectious before symptoms begin.

There is currently no approved vaccine specifically for the Bundibugyo strain, making rapid case identification, isolation, contact tracing, safe burials and infection-control measures central to outbreak containment