Kenya confirms first Ebola case; patient who flew in from DR Congo via Uganda dies in Nairobi

Full report

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced in Nairobi on Oct 6 that Kenya had confirmed its first case of Ebola virus disease, caused by the Bundibugyo strain. The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had lived and worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo for about seven years, fell ill about a month ago and was treated at several hospitals there.

He then travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda, and boarded Jambojet flight 8523, arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Saturday, Oct 3 at about 1:10 p.m., where he passed routine public health screening. Relatives drove him directly to Nairobi Hospital, where staff isolated him in the emergency department; doctors treated it as suspected viral haemorrhagic fever and took samples, which tested positive. He died at about 11:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct 5, and will be buried under Ebola safety protocols.

The ministry has identified 28 contacts, including family members and health workers, and is tracing 23 passengers and four crew members from the flight. Duale urged the public not to panic, saying containment systems are in place. The DR Congo outbreak has surpassed 8,000 cases and 4,000 deaths, among the largest on record; it had already spread to Uganda (20 cases, two deaths). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he does not support travel restrictions on affected countries.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the body fluids of infected people, living or dead, and can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, bleeding.