Kenya has recorded its first case and death from Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced, raising concerns over possible exposure among people who came into contact with the deceased.
Duale said the patient was a Kenyan citizen who returned to the country on October 3 after spending seven years living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where he had fallen ill about a month earlier.
The patient received treatment at several hospitals in the DRC before travelling by road from the DRC to Kampala, Uganda, as his condition continued to deteriorate. He later travelled to Kenya and underwent the required public health screening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
After arriving at the airport, a relative and a friend transported him to Nairobi Hospital in a Toyota Fielder, registration number KDG 699Z. Medical staff immediately isolated him in an emergency room before moving him to the facility’s East Wing isolation unit.
The isolation facility, which was previously used during the Covid-19 pandemic, has more than 145 beds and is equipped to handle patients requiring specialized care.
According to Duale, the patient showed several symptoms associated with viral haemorrhagic fever. These included fever, severe fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, painful swallowing, a sore throat and bleeding under the skin at the injection site.
“The doctors considered his case as that of a viral hemorrhagic fever and collected samples which turned positive for Ebola,” Duale said. Health officials provided supportive treatment after the patient tested positive for the virus. However, his condition worsened and he died on Monday at 11:30 p.m.
Authorities have planned the burial for later Tuesday and will follow public health protocols designed to prevent further transmission of the virus.
The Ministry of Health has so far identified 28 people who had contact with the deceased and is tracing another 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight. Duale said the government has also prepared quarantine arrangements for people considered at risk as health officials continue monitoring those who may have been exposed.
“Arrangements for quarantine of those at risk have been prepared to protect the public,” he said.
The Ministry is expected to continue contact tracing, monitoring and other public health measures as authorities work to contain the outbreak and prevent additional infections.
The case marks the first reported Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease case and death in Kenya, making contact tracing and isolation key measures in the government’s response.