Kenya confirms first Ebola case after patient dies in Nairobi

Kenya has confirmed its first imported case of Ebola after a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo died in a Nairobi hospital, prompting an urgent contact-tracing operation.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the case on Tuesday, October 6, saying the patient had lived in the DRC for seven years and became ill about a month before returning to Kenya.

He was treated at several health facilities in the DRC before travelling by road to Kampala, Uganda, and then flying to Nairobi.

The patient arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Saturday, October 3, aboard Jambojet flight JM 8523 from Entebbe.

The flight was carrying 23 passengers and four crew members, all of whom are now being sought as part of Kenya’s efforts to establish whether anyone else was exposed to the virus.

Duale said the passenger underwent routine public-health screening at the airport before clearing immigration.

Relatives and a friend then took him directly to Nairobi Hospital, where he was immediately isolated after presenting with symptoms consistent with viral haemorrhagic fever.

He was later transferred to the hospital’s East Wing isolation facility, which had been used during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Laboratory tests conducted by Kenya’s National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) confirmed infection with Ebola Bundibugyo virus.

Despite receiving supportive treatment, the patient died at about 11:30pm on Monday, according to Duale.

Authorities said arrangements were being made for a safe and dignified burial under Ebola prevention protocols.

Kenyan health officials have so far identified 28 contacts, including relatives and healthcare workers who interacted with the patient.

They are also working to trace the 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled with him from Uganda to Nairobi.

Jambojet said it was cooperating with the Ministry of Health and other authorities in the contact-tracing exercise.

The confirmation comes as East Africa remains on heightened alert because of a major Ebola outbreak in the DRC.

The World Health Organization said that, as of September 23, the DRC had recorded 7,890 confirmed cases and 3,799 deaths, with infections reported across 63 health zones in seven provinces.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a relatively rare strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

WHO has warned that continued transmission in the DRC poses a significant risk of cross-border spread.

Uganda, meanwhile, declared its Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak over in August after completing the required 42-day period without a new confirmed case.

The country recorded 20 confirmed cases during its outbreak.

Kenyan authorities are intensifying surveillance and contact tracing to prevent the imported case from triggering further transmission, particularly given the patient’s movements across three countries before his death.