The Kenyan Executive announced this Tuesday the detection of the first case of Ebola in the country and specified that the affected individual, of Kenyan nationality and residing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has died as a result of the virus. In this Central African country, an outbreak has been ongoing since May, which has already accumulated 8,600 infections and nearly 4,150 fatalities.
The Kenyan Ministry of Health explained in a statement disseminated on social media that the deceased had been living in the DRC for seven years and "fell ill about a month ago," receiving care in several Congolese medical centers before traveling by road to Uganda and subsequently taking a flight from Kampala to Nairobi on October 3.
"He was subjected to public health supervision at the health and migration post," the department specified, adding that a friend picked him up at the airport and took him to a hospital in the capital, where he "was quickly isolated" upon presenting "fever, chills, intense fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, sore throat, and bleeding under the skin at the injection sites."
Given this clinical picture and his recent stay in the DRC, health workers immediately suspected Ebola and ordered specific tests that confirmed the infection. The man, whose identity has not been made public, died on Monday night at the medical center where he was hospitalized.
"There are activities underway for a safe and dignified burial of the deceased. The burial is scheduled to take place today, respecting the protocols for a safe and dignified burial in cases of Ebola," the Ministry added, indicating that 28 close contacts of the patient have already been located.
The authorities have also detailed that they continue to work to identify 23 passengers and four crew members who traveled on the same flight between Kampala and Nairobi, with the aim of assessing their level of exposure. Those individuals considered a risk to public health will be placed in preventive isolation.
The Minister of Health, Aden Duale, has emphasized that the country's institutions "maintain a high level of alert against Ebola" since the beginning of the current outbreak in the DRC, during which more than 652,000 travelers have been monitored and 267 laboratory tests have been conducted for possible cases.
"In line with international health regulations, we have notified what happened to the World Health Organization (WHO)," he pointed out, while asking citizens to "not panic." "All systems are in place to mitigate the spread of the disease," he insisted.
With this case, Kenya becomes the second country, in addition to the DRC, to confirm imported infections linked to the current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no authorized vaccine or treatment.
Uganda, for its part, declared on July 28 the end of the circulation of the virus after surpassing the 42-day observation period—equivalent to two incubation cycles since the last patient's discharge—required to declare an outbreak concluded. In its territory, 20 infections and two deaths were recorded.
WHO highlights Kenya's response capacity
The World Health Organization has confirmed the case and indicated that it is already collaborating "closely" with Kenyan authorities to strengthen controls and prevent further transmission of Ebola.
Its director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has expressed his "deepest condolences" to the relatives of the only reported fatality so far in Kenya, which becomes the fourth country this year, after the DRC, Uganda, and France, to report the presence of the disease within its borders.
The agency has emphasized that the Kenyan government has trained to date about 5,000 health professionals in the prevention and management of Ebola. This training effort, along with other measures, has allowed the country's preparedness index against the virus to rise from 66% in May to 82% in July.
These actions are complemented by the supply from the WHO of around 1,000 Ebola tests and another thousand personal protective equipment kits to several counties considered high-risk in Kenya, as part of a support package that also includes contact tracing, epidemiological surveillance, and strengthening of controls.
The UN agency has also again advised against imposing travel or trade restrictions on countries affected by Ebola and has assured that it continues to monitor the situation "closely" to adjust, if necessary, its recommendations on travel in the context of the epidemic.