Kenya confirms first imported Ebola case after patient dies
Kenya has confirmed its first imported Ebola case after a patient died in Nairobi. Officials are identifying contacts and tracing fellow travellers.
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Health minister Aden Duale announced the case on Tuesday, 6 October. The patient, a Kenyan citizen, had arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo via Uganda on Saturday. The patient developed symptoms, tested positive for Ebola and died late on Monday while receiving treatment at Nairobi Hospital, the Associated Press reported. The travel route does not establish where the infection occurred. [1] [2]
Duale said officials had identified 28 contacts, including relatives and healthcare workers. They were also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members from the patient’s flight. Those groups should not be added together: the reports do not say whether they overlap. Ministry director Patrick Amoth said contacts would remain in isolation for 21 days and be released after testing negative. Duale said arrangements to quarantine people considered at risk were still under way. [1] [2]
Duale said Kenya had tested 267 samples at five laboratories since May, with this patient’s result the only positive one. [1]
The current outbreak was declared in eastern Congo in mid-May. The Associated Press reports that Uganda has recorded 20 cases and France one, making Kenya the fourth country to record a case in this outbreak. [1]
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