Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case after a man who traveled from DR Congo died in Nairobi. Dozens of contacts are now in isolation.
Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case Tuesday after a Kenyan citizen who had traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo died in Nairobi, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced, making Kenya the fourth country to record a case linked to the ongoing eastern Congo outbreak. The patient, who had lived in Congo for seven years and fell ill roughly a month earlier, traveled by road to Uganda’s capital, Kampala, before flying to Nairobi on Saturday; he died late Monday at the Nairobi Hospital, where he had sought treatment.
Duale said 28 contacts, including family members and health workers who cared for the patient, have been identified and placed in isolation for 21 days as part of the response. President William Ruto said at least eight family members and 21 healthcare workers had been quarantined, and ordered an enhanced national response to contain the virus. Tests confirmed the patient was infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Uganda recorded 20 cases and two deaths linked to the same outbreak earlier this year before being declared Ebola-free in August.
The outbreak in eastern Congo, which began roughly 11 months ago, has become the second-largest on record, with more than 8,300 confirmed cases and over 4,000 deaths. The United Nations has advised against imposing travel or trade restrictions on Kenya, Congo or Uganda in response to the case. The United States has previously built a 50-bed Ebola quarantine facility for American citizens at an air force base in central Kenya as a precaution tied to the broader regional outbreak.
This report is based on information from Al Jazeera, Reuters, the Associated Press (via Irish News) and Yahoo News.