Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive for the virus and later died.
Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, announced the case on Tuesday, saying the patient arrived in Nairobi on Saturday after travelling from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda.
The patient developed symptoms associated with Ebola and was admitted to Nairobi Hospital, where he was isolated and tested positive for the virus.
Duale said the patient died on Monday while receiving treatment.
Health authorities have identified 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers who attended to the patient, and are conducting contact tracing to prevent further transmission.
Another 23 passengers who travelled on the same flight from Uganda are also being traced, according to the Kenyan Health Ministry.
The identified contacts will remain in isolation for 21 days and undergo testing before they are released, the ministry’s Director General, Patrick Amoth, said.
The patient travelled to Kenya on a flight from Uganda after spending several years in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he had reportedly been receiving treatment after falling ill.
Kenya has placed the country on high alert as authorities intensify surveillance and contact tracing following the confirmation.
The case is linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
Uganda had earlier recorded 20 cases during the outbreak after an imported case from the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the World Health Organisation declared the country free of Ebola in August.
Kenya had previously recorded no cases of the Bundibugyo strain, despite strengthening preparedness at its borders because of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and cross-border movement in the region.
