Kenya reports first Ebola case of current outbreak
The patient travelled from Congo via Uganda and has died; 28 contacts are being monitored.
Kenya has reported the first imported case of the current Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. The patient died in Nairobi on Monday, after which the authorities introduced contact tracing and isolation measures.
Kenyan Health Minister Aden Duale announced on Tuesday that a Kenyan citizen had travelled to the country from Congo via Uganda. The patient was treated in Nairobi and tested positive for Ebola.
According to the ministry, 28 contacts have been identified, including family members and healthcare workers. In addition, 23 fellow passengers from the flight from Uganda are being traced. Kenyan health authorities say contacts will be monitored for 21 days.
This is an imported infection, not evidence of wider spread in Kenya. The authorities have nevertheless raised the level of alert in the country. Kenya had already made preparations in recent months because of cross-border traffic between Congo, Uganda and Kenya.
The outbreak in Congo is being caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola virus. The World Health Organisation describes the outbreak as growing rapidly and points to problems with early detection, contact tracing and the provision of care in eastern Congo.
Ebola is spread mainly through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or the deceased. A single imported infection does not automatically mean that a country is facing an epidemic. The risk depends, among other things, on how quickly contacts are found and whether they exposed others during an infectious period.
For travellers in the Netherlands, this report does not automatically change the general health advice. It may, however, affect regional travel advice and border controls. In the coming days, the Kenyan authorities must primarily clarify whether new infections are found among the contacts being monitored.
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The current report has been confirmed by AP and the Kenyan broadcaster. The broader epidemiological context is based on WHO information.
- confirmed Kenya has reported its first imported Ebola case and the patient has died. — Confirmed by AP and KBC. source
- confirmed Twenty-eight contacts are being monitored and 23 fellow passengers are being traced. — Mentioned by the Kenyan Health Minister, according to AP. source
- confirmed The outbreak is being caused by the Bundibugyo virus. — WHO describes the outbreak as being caused by this variant. source
Editor's note
The first infection in Kenya, the death and the number of identified contacts have been confirmed. It is still too early to say whether further spread is occurring in Kenya.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „ebola kenia”
- NU.nl — „ebola kenia”
- De Telegraaf — „ebola kenia”