Kenyan health authorities have launched contact-tracing efforts after an Ebola patient died in Nairobi, marking the country’s first confirmed case of the viral disease.
Officials are monitoring people who may have been exposed to the deceased, including relatives, medical workers and passengers who travelled on the same flight with him from Uganda. Authorities are also trying to locate 23 passengers and four crew members who were aboard the flight. The identified contacts are expected to remain under observation for 21 days.
The man had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years and had reportedly become ill about a month before leaving the country. He travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda, before taking a flight to Nairobi, where he arrived on Saturday, according to Kenya’s Health Secretary, Aden Duale.
President William Ruto has directed authorities to strengthen measures aimed at preventing further transmission. At least eight members of the deceased’s family and 21 healthcare workers have been placed in quarantine, while additional contacts are being traced.
The development comes as the DRC battles its latest Ebola outbreak, with more than 8,300 confirmed cases and over 4,000 deaths reported across seven provinces. Uganda, which recorded 20 cases and two deaths during its own outbreak earlier this year, was declared Ebola-free in August.
The World Health Organization has warned that the DRC outbreak remains ongoing, while advising against restrictions on travel and trade involving Kenya, Uganda and the DRC following the death in Nairobi.
