A first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease has been confirmed in Kenya after a patient died in Nairobi, prompting authorities to intensify surveillance as an outbreak continues in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The case was confirmed Tuesday by Kenya’s health authorities. The patient, a Kenyan national who had lived in the DRC for seven years, died Monday night, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
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A nurse walks past an Ebola alert poster at Nairobi Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, Oct. 7, 2026. Kenya on Tuesday confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease, one day after a man died in a Nairobi hospital, the country’s health authorities said. (Xinhua/Yang Guang)
Cabinet Secretary for Health Aden Duale said the man became ill about a month ago and sought treatment at several hospitals in the DRC.
“The patient fell ill about a month ago and received treatment at several hospitals in the DRC. He travelled by road to Kampala (Uganda) before boarding a flight to Nairobi, arriving Oct. 3,” Duale said at a press conference in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
After arriving in Kenya, the patient developed fever, chills, fatigue, muscle pain, painful swallowing, a sore throat and subcutaneous bleeding. He was admitted to a Nairobi hospital, where he was isolated and assessed.
Tests by Kenya’s National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease.
Authorities carried out the patient’s burial Tuesday under Kenya’s Ebola safe and dignified burial protocol, the WHO said.
The Ministry of Health has identified 28 contacts, including relatives and healthcare workers who treated the patient. Officials are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were aboard the same flight.
Duale said Kenya has established systems capable of containing the virus.
He appealed to the public to remain calm, follow updates issued by the Ministry of Health and seek immediate medical care if symptoms emerge.
Kenya has maintained heightened Ebola surveillance since the outbreak in the DRC began in May, the health official said.
By Oct. 6, authorities had screened 652,584 incoming travelers and tested 267 samples at five reference laboratories. The Nairobi patient remains the only confirmed positive case in Kenya.
Duale also said 4,971 healthcare workers at national and county levels had received specialized training in Ebola prevention, infection control and case management.
Patrick Amoth, Director-General for Health at Kenya’s Ministry of Health, said Ebola’s incubation period lasts between two and 21 days.
For that reason, people in quarantine or under contact monitoring are isolated for as long as 21 days to reduce the risk of transmission.
“If anyone develops symptoms within this period, the person will be transported from the incubation site to an Ebola treatment unit for care,” he said as he elaborated Kenya’s preparedness.
Ahmed Idris, Secretary General of the Kenya Red Cross Society, said the organization had activated specialized Safe and Dignified Burial (SDB) teams, community engagement units and community-based surveillance volunteers to assist the national response.
Jambojet, the regional airline that operated the flight from Entebbe, the airport serving Uganda’s capital Kampala, to Nairobi, said it was coordinating with the Ministry of Health, port health services and aviation authorities on contact tracing and other response measures.
Korir Sing’Oei, Kenya’s principal secretary in the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, called the confirmed case regrettable. He said it also demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of the containment capabilities the government has developed for public health emergencies.
Kenya’s Ministry of Health said it had formally notified the WHO in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR).
In May, the WHO declared the ongoing Ebola outbreaks in the DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), urging international coordination and the mobilization of resources.
The health agency has said the outbreak is unfolding amid a difficult epidemiological and security environment shaped by population movement, cross-border commerce and large displaced populations.
As of Oct. 2, the DRC’s Ministry of Health had recorded more than 8,000 confirmed cases and at least 4,000 deaths associated with the Bundibugyo strain. Transmission has been concentrated mainly in the DRC and along neighboring regional trade corridors.
