Kenya has recorded its first case of Ebola after a citizen who had spent seven years in the Democratic Republic of Congo died in Nairobi, health authorities said.
Health Minister Aden Duale said the patient had fallen ill about a month ago and received treatment at several hospitals in DR Congo before travelling to Kenya. He died days after reaching the capital.
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Duale said the patient boarded a flight on Saturday, passed routine public screening at Nairobi’s main airport and was later taken to a city hospital by a relative.
More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola in DR Congo this year, making the outbreak the second-deadliest known outbreak of the disease.
Uganda also reported Ebola cases shortly after DR Congo declared its outbreak in May. Two people died there, but the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the country free of the disease in August.
All known cases since then have been recorded in DR Congo.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood and vomit.
The outbreak in DR Congo has been linked to the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a relatively rare strain for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
Four vaccines are nevertheless in development, and human trials for one began in July.
Duale said tests confirmed that the Kenyan patient had contracted the Bundibugyo species.
The minister said the patient travelled by road from DR Congo to Kampala, Uganda’s capital, before taking a flight to Nairobi.
After arriving at Nairobi Hospital, the patient was moved to an isolation facility constructed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Duale said.
At the facility, the patient “developed fever, chills, intense fatigue and weakness, painful swallowing, muscle pain and bleeding under the skin”.
“Doctors suspected a viral haemorrhagic fever based on his symptoms and travel history and collected samples for testing. The sample tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo virus,” Duale said.
The patient died at 23:30 (20:30 GMT) on Monday. Authorities planned to bury him later on Tuesday under public health safety protocols.
Health authorities have identified at least 28 contacts, including relatives and healthcare workers, and are tracing another 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight.
A senior health ministry official said medication taken by the patient may have concealed his symptoms during airport screening.
Kenya tightened screening at airports and border crossings after the outbreak was declared in DR Congo.
The health minister urged Kenyans “not to panic, as all systems are in place to mitigate the spread of the disease”.
He also called on health workers to be “extra vigilant and maintain the highest infection prevention and control measures regardless of the condition being treated”.
The WHO has recorded 4,082 deaths among 8,463 cases in the current outbreak, the largest ever documented in DR Congo, where Ebola was first identified.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said the death toll may be higher because surveillance and testing remain limited in the war-torn country.
On Monday, MSF said the virus was spreading “like a megafire”, as new hotspots emerged in North Kivu province, which borders Ituri, the area where the outbreak began.
MSF said the situation had “intensified dramatically” since early September, with North Kivu now accounting for nearly 40% of newly confirmed cases across the country.
Eastern DR Congo has endured decades of conflict, with numerous rebel groups operating amid ethnic tensions and struggles for political influence and control of valuable natural resources.
The prolonged crisis has killed and displaced millions of people while undermining the country’s ability to build and sustain effective healthcare systems and infrastructure.
