Kenya reports first Ebola death after patient's return from DR Congo
A man who had lived in Congo for years died in Kenya after testing positive for Ebola, marking the country's first-ever confirmed case and death from the virus. Authorities have launched urgent contact-tracing as the outbreak in Congo continues to accelerate.
Kenya's Health Minister Aden Duale announced Tuesday that the country recorded its first confirmed Ebola case and its first death from the disease. The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had lived in Congo for seven years, fell ill roughly a month ago.
After receiving treatment at several hospitals in Congo, the man traveled by road to Kampala, Uganda, where he boarded a flight to Nairobi, arriving Saturday afternoon. His relatives transported him by private vehicle to Nairobi Hospital, where he was immediately isolated. He tested positive for Ebola and died late Monday. He is expected to be buried within 24 hours under recommended safety protocols.
Contact tracing underway
Dr. Patrick Amoth, the health ministry's director-general, said 28 contacts of the patient had been identified, including family members and the health workers who treated him. Authorities are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who flew with him from Uganda. All identified contacts will remain in isolation for 21 days and be released only after testing negative.
Kenya has placed its border points on high alert and is monitoring for additional cases. Before this case, the country had tested 267 samples across five laboratories since May without detecting Ebola, and had never previously recorded an outbreak.
Fastest-growing outbreak in history
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention praised Kenya's rapid identification and isolation response and dispatched a high-level support team. The underlying outbreak, declared in eastern Congo in mid-May, has since spread to seven provinces, with more than 8,400 cases and over 4,000 deaths recorded — making it the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record.
Before Kenya's case emerged, there had been no active cases outside Congo since Uganda declared its own outbreak over in late August. Uganda has recorded 20 cases overall, and France one. The World Health Organization has warned the outbreak could surpass the deadliest Ebola event in history, which killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa over a decade ago.
