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| Aden Duale announced Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola case. |
Kenya has confirmed its first-ever Ebola case. The patient, a man who arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo, died on Monday night, Health Minister Aden Duale announced at a news conference in Nairobi on Tuesday.
The case raises concerns about the virus spreading across borders. Congo is dealing with one of the largest Ebola outbreaks on record. According to The New York Times, public health officials said single cases can be contained quickly if the right measures are followed.
What officials say happened
Duale said the man was a Kenyan citizen who had lived in Congo for seven years. He fell ill about a month ago and was treated at hospitals there. He then traveled by road to Uganda and flew from the Ugandan capital, Kampala, to Nairobi on Saturday, Oct. 3. Authorities have not released his name.
Duale said the man went through the normal screening at Nairobi's main airport. A relative and a friend then drove him to a hospital in the city, where he was isolated in a separate room. He was later moved to an isolation unit. According to the BBC, the unit was built during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Duale described the symptoms as fever, chills, intense fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, painful swallowing, a sore throat and bleeding under the skin at injection sites. Doctors suspected a viral hemorrhagic fever based on his symptoms and travel history. Tests came back positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
The man received supportive treatment but died at about 11:30 p.m. Monday (20:30 GMT). Duale said he would be buried later Tuesday in line with Ebola protocols.
Contact tracing and quarantine
Officials have identified 28 contacts of the man, including family members and health care workers. Duale said only one test had turned positive so far, which was the man's own.
Authorities are also looking for 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight. Duale said quarantine arrangements have been prepared for anyone at risk. He urged the public not to panic and said all systems were in place to limit the spread. He also asked health workers to stay extra vigilant and keep up strict infection prevention and control measures, whatever condition they are treating.
Questions about border and airport screening
Kenya has introduced travel rules aimed at keeping the virus out. Travelers from Congo must fill out an online questionnaire about their health and possible exposure. It was not immediately clear how the man got through health checks at the Nairobi airport. It was also unclear how he crossed into Uganda, which closed its border with Congo in May, according to the Times.
Ebola controls have also been politically sensitive in Kenya. Earlier this year, the government's plan to let the United States set up an Ebola facility at the Laikipia air base, about 125 miles from Nairobi, drew angry reactions. The Times reported accusations that President William Ruto had bowed to U.S. interests. Hundreds of people marched in the nearest town in June, and police used tear gas. The Kenya Human Rights Commission said at least three protesters were shot and killed. The police did not comment.
The outbreak in Congo
The outbreak in Congo was announced in May and began in the northeastern province of Ituri. The Times reported that cases may have been spreading as early as January. As of Oct. 2, the World Health Organization had recorded 4,082 deaths among 8,463 confirmed cases. It is the largest outbreak in Congo's history and the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record. It is also Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak. The virus has now spread to seven provinces in the north and east.
The Bundibugyo strain is relatively rare. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for it, though some have been trialed. Ebola spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, such as blood or vomit.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Monday of an "alarming surge" in North Kivu province, which borders Uganda. The group said the province now accounts for about 40% of new confirmed cases, up from 24% at the end of August. Stephanie Hoffmann, who coordinates MSF's Ebola treatment center in Butembo, said multiple outbreaks are developing at once. She compared the situation to "fighting a megafire."
MSF said the Butembo health zone has about 2 million residents and only four Ebola treatment centers, two of which opened recently. Hoffmann said a lack of beds sometimes forces staff to refer confirmed patients elsewhere, which risks wider spread. MSF also said the real toll could be higher because of gaps in surveillance and testing.
The response has been hampered by armed conflict, mistrust of authorities that has led to violence against health workers, and a lack of resources after large cuts in international aid. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project, North Kivu recorded 134 violent incidents in the past month, more than any other province.
Spread beyond Congo so far
Before this case, Kenya had never reported Ebola. Uganda recorded 20 cases, mostly in people arriving from Congo. The WHO declared Uganda's outbreak over in August. In June, officials in France reported that a French doctor who had treated Ebola patients in Congo tested positive after returning home. He recovered after hospital treatment.
What happens next
Kenyan authorities are monitoring the man's contacts and the passengers and crew who flew with him. They are also arranging quarantine for anyone considered at risk. Officials have not yet explained how the man passed airport screening or crossed the Ugandan border.