Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola Virus Disease after a Kenyan national who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years died at Nairobi Hospital.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the patient travelled from the DRC by road through Uganda while making his way back to Kenya before later boarding a Jambojet flight to Nairobi.
“The Ministry of Health wishes to inform members of the public that it has confirmed the first imported case of Ebola. This patient is a Kenyan citizen who has been living in DRC for the past seven years,” Duale said.
According to Duale, the patient fell ill about a month ago and sought treatment at several health facilities in the DRC before beginning his journey back to Kenya.
He travelled by road through Uganda and later boarded a Jambojet flight carrying 23 passengers and four crew members. The flight arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Saturday, October 3, at 1:10 p.m.
Duale said the patient underwent routine public health screening at the airport and proceeded through immigration before being picked up by relatives and friends.
He was then transported directly from the airport to Nairobi Hospital, where he was immediately isolated in a separate room.
At the hospital, the patient presented with fever, chills, intense fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, painful swallowing and bleeding under the skin.
“Based on the presentation and history of travel, the doctors considered his case to be viral fever and collected samples for testing, which turned positive for Ebola,” Duale said.
Following confirmation of the infection, health authorities launched contact-tracing and response measures to prevent further transmission.
Duale said 28 people had already been identified and isolated, including members of the patient’s family and health workers who attended to him.
The Ministry of Health is expected to continue monitoring those identified as contacts as authorities assess the risk of further transmission and strengthen surveillance measures.
