Kenya Reports Second Ebola Infection Linked to Initial Case’s Relative

The 40‑year‑old Kenyan man who passed away on 5 October was diagnosed with Ebola shortly after his admission to a Nairobi hospital.

A family member had brought him to the hospital after picking him up at the airport. He had traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo, through Uganda, into Kenya without his illness being detected.

Following his death, health officials identified 128 close contacts; by Tuesday, 113 of those individuals had been located, the ministry reported.

Of those contacts, 108 are currently under quarantine in Kenya, while efforts to trace the remaining 15 continue.

More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year, marking the second‑deadliest known outbreak on record.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.

Kenya’s health ministry advises that anyone experiencing fever, unexplained fatigue, muscle or joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, or unusual bleeding should seek immediate care at the nearest health facility.

The ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which began in May, is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola—a relatively rare strain for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists, although clinical trials are underway.

Shortly after Congo declared its Ebola outbreak in May, cases were also reported in Uganda, where two people died.

However, the World Health Organization later declared Uganda free of the disease in August.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent’s leading public health agency, has reconstructed the Kenyan patient’s movements during the six weeks preceding his death.

The investigation shows that he first fell ill in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 15 September and highlights several missed opportunities to detect the infection, including during multiple visits to Congolese medical facilities.

He then traveled through Uganda to Kenya, again evading detection at airport screenings.

Health experts say this underscores the limitations of relying solely on temperature checks and self‑declarations for early detection.

Source link