Kenya confirms first Ebola death as authorities trace contacts

Kenya has reported its first Ebola death after a male citizen fell ill and died after returning to the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The victim was a local national who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the BBC reported he had resided for seven years before returning to Nairobi. UN News reported that the deceased was infected with the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. [1][3][4][6]

Health Minister Aden Duale stated that the patient fell ill a month prior and received treatment in several hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo before travelling back to Kenya. According to BBC reports, the man travelled through several cities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, drove to Uganda, and subsequently boarded a flight to Nairobi on Saturday. He passed through public screening at the main airport in Nairobi before a relative moved him to a city hospital, where he died days later. [4][5]

Health authorities have placed ten people linked to the patient into quarantine, according to the BBC. The World Health Organization representative in Nairobi, Dr. Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, stated to UN News that the coming days will be decisive in stopping community transmission. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera and the BBC reported that the case has raised public concern over potential lapses in border screening protocols. [1][2][5][10]

Kenya is the fourth country to document a case in the current Ebola outbreak, which France 24 reported was first declared in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May. The BBC reported that more than 4,000 people have died from the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year alone. In response to the fatality, the government has intensified preparedness and enhanced health surveillance at border points and airports. [2][4][6]