Kenya confirms its first Ebola death after patient travelled from DR Congo through Uganda

Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola death. The patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in DR Congo and died Monday night in Nairobi, Health Minister Aden Duale announced on Tuesday.

The death marks the spread of an outbreak that has killed 4,082 of 8,463 people in DR Congo, according to figures recorded by the World Health Organization as of 2 October. It is the largest outbreak ever recorded in DR Congo, and it has now reached a third country after DR Congo and Uganda.

The patient fell ill about a month ago and was treated in several hospitals in DR Congo before travelling overland from DR Congo to Kampala, Uganda, and then flying to Nairobi on 3 October. After being screened at Nairobi’s main airport, the patient was taken by a relative to Nairobi Hospital and then transferred to an isolation facility built during the Covid-19 pandemic, where doctors suspected a viral haemorrhagic fever and collected samples for testing.

Duale confirmed that the patient had tested positive for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. The patient died at approximately 23:30 local time on Monday. A safe burial was planned for Tuesday in line with public health protocols.

At least 28 contacts have been identified, including family members and healthcare workers. Authorities are also tracing a further 23 passengers and four crew members from the same flight.

Duale urged Kenyans not to panic. “I wish to assure the public not to panic, as all systems are in place to mitigate the spread of the disease,” he said. He also called on health workers to be extra vigilant and maintain the highest infection prevention and control measures.

Congo’s worst outbreak, fueled by conflict

The outbreak began in Ituri province and spread to North Kivu, and has now spread to seven provinces in the north and east of DR Congo. The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in mid-May. It is the second most deadly known outbreak of the disease, and Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. The medical charity MSF warned on Monday that the virus was spreading like a megafire in North Kivu, which has accounted for nearly 40% of all newly confirmed cases nationwide since early September. Armed conflict and a lack of resources in eastern DR Congo have hindered the health response, and MSF believes the toll could be higher due to gaps in surveillance and testing.

No vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain

There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, and the Bundibugyo species is relatively rare. Four vaccines are in development, with human trials for one launched in July. The virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit. Uganda recorded 20 Ebola cases, almost all people who had travelled from the DRC, with two deaths before being declared Ebola-free in August. Kenyans reacted furiously to government plans earlier this year for an Ebola facility at Laikipia airbase, about 125 miles from Nairobi.