Kenya Confirms First Imported Ebola Case Following Patient's Death in Nairobi
Health officials are actively tracing dozens of individuals who had contact with the deceased patient, who had recently traveled from Congo.
Kenya's Ministry of Health announced Tuesday the country's first confirmed imported case of Ebola, a patient who had traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo and died in Nairobi. Health Minister Aden Duale stated that the Kenyan citizen arrived in the country on Saturday from Congo, transiting through Uganda.
The patient was admitted to Nairobi Hospital, where they tested positive for the Ebola virus and subsequently died late Monday. Health authorities have identified 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers who attended to the patient, and are tracing an additional 23 passengers from the same flight from Uganda. These individuals will undergo a 21-day isolation period and will be released after testing negative for the virus.
The deceased had been residing in Congo for seven years and began experiencing symptoms about a month prior to their travel. They received treatment at various facilities in Congo before traveling by road to Kampala, Uganda, and then flying to Nairobi. The patient's remains will be interred within 24 hours in accordance with public health protocols.
Kenya has historically not experienced an Ebola outbreak, according to the Kenya Medical Research Institute. The country hosts a U.S.-funded isolation center for American citizens exposed to Ebola, which has faced local opposition.
This case marks Kenya as the fourth country to record an Ebola infection in the current outbreak, which began in mid-May in eastern Congo. Uganda has reported 20 cases and France one. Before Kenya's announcement, there had been no active cases outside of Congo since Uganda declared its outbreak over in late August.
Kenyan border crossings have been placed on high alert, with monitoring for potential additional cases underway. Health authorities have tested 267 samples across five laboratories nationwide since May before this first confirmed case.
The Ebola outbreak in Congo has been characterized by challenging conditions, including attacks on health teams, misinformation, reluctance from locals to report symptoms, and rebel violence that has hindered access to treatment centers. The World Health Organization has cautioned that the current outbreak could potentially surpass the severity of the 2014 West Africa outbreak, which resulted in over 11,000 deaths.