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Kenya confirms first Ebola case after man who travelled from Congo dies
Reuters • • world
Key Points:
- Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case after a Kenyan citizen who had traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) died in Nairobi, marking Kenya as the fourth country affected by the eastern Congo Ebola epidemic.
- The patient had been ill for about a month, traveled by road through Uganda, and passed through airport health screening in Nairobi before being hospitalized and isolated; he died on Monday.
- Eight family members and 21 healthcare workers who attended to the patient have been quarantined, and health authorities are tracing passengers and crew from his flight to prevent further spread.
- Kenya has trained nearly 5,000 health workers on Ebola prevention and management, with support from the Africa CDC and WHO, which is advising against travel restrictions despite the case.
- Questions remain about how the patient crossed from Congo into Uganda despite border closures and passed airport screenings, possibly due to medication masking symptoms; Uganda denies current Ebola presence.
