Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo for seven years died in Nairobi, health authorities said on Tuesday.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the patient had been ill for about a month and had received treatment at several hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo before travelling by road to Uganda and later flying to Nairobi.

The patient arrived in Kenya on Saturday and passed through routine screening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport before being taken by a relative to Nairobi Hospital. He was later transferred to an isolation facility, where samples confirmed infection with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

Patient Developed Severe Symptoms

According to Duale, the patient developed fever, chills, severe fatigue and weakness, painful swallowing, muscle pain and bleeding beneath the skin after being admitted to the isolation facility.

Doctors suspected viral haemorrhagic fever because of his symptoms and travel history, prompting laboratory testing that confirmed Ebola Bundibugyo virus.

The patient died late on Monday and was scheduled to be buried on Tuesday under public health protocols designed to prevent further transmission.

Authorities Trace 28 Close Contacts

Kenyan health authorities have identified at least 28 people who had contact with the deceased, including relatives and healthcare workers.

Officials are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the flight that brought the patient to Nairobi.

Health Ministry Director General Patrick Amoth said the patient may have passed through airport screening because medication had masked some of his symptoms, according to Reuters.

Duale urged Kenyans not to panic, saying the country had systems in place to respond to the disease. He also called on health workers to remain vigilant and maintain strict infection prevention and control measures.

Ebola Outbreak Rages In DR Congo

The Kenyan case is linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Bundibugyo strain has caused thousands of infections and deaths.

The outbreak was declared in May and has become the largest Ebola outbreak recorded in the country. Government figures cited by Reuters showed more than 8,000 confirmed cases and over 4,000 deaths by early October.

The disease has also been reported in Uganda, which recorded 20 cases and two deaths before the World Health Organisation declared the country Ebola-free in August. Kenya is now the third country linked to the current outbreak.

Rare Ebola Strain Has No Proven Vaccine

The current outbreak is being driven by the relatively rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola.

Unlike the Zaire species responsible for previous major outbreaks, there is currently no proven vaccine or approved treatment specifically for Bundibugyo Ebola, although vaccine candidates are being developed and tested.

Ebola is transmitted primarily through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people. The disease can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal or external bleeding.

Conflict Complicates Congo Response

The outbreak has been particularly difficult to contain because it is occurring in eastern DR Congo, a region affected by years of armed conflict and a fragile healthcare system.

Médecins Sans Frontières has warned that the virus is continuing to spread rapidly, with North Kivu emerging as a major hotspot alongside Ituri, where the outbreak began.

The conflict, displacement of communities and attacks on health workers have complicated efforts to trace contacts, test suspected cases and deliver treatment.

Kenyan authorities have meanwhile urged the public to remain calm while health teams continue contact tracing and surveillance following the country’s first confirmed case.

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