Kenya detects second Ebola case in quarantine
The patient is a relative of the first infected man and was identified during the daily check.
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Kenya confirmed a second case of Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola virus disease, on Wednesday. The patient is a 39-year-old close relative of the first patient, who was already in quarantine when he developed symptoms.
Kenyan health authorities say the man developed symptoms on Tuesday and subsequently tested positive. According to the authorities, he was monitored daily because he was among the contacts of the first patient. The early detection should increase the chance of preventing further spread.
The two confirmed cases are linked, according to the ministry. The authorities say there is currently no evidence of community transmission. That is the current assessment of Kenya’s health service; contacts will therefore continue to be monitored and tested.
The precise number of registered contacts varies by update and counting point. Associated Press reported on Wednesday that around 128 people had been identified as contacts and that 108 of them had been placed in quarantine. Kenyan reports have previously cited different numbers, because lists are expanded and checked during the investigation.
The first patient was a Kenyan man who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for an extended period. He travelled via Uganda to Nairobi, where he was isolated and tested positive in early October. He died shortly afterwards. The World Health Organization described the first Kenyan case as an imported infection from the ongoing outbreak in Congo.
Kenya has tightened checks at airports and border crossings. According to the WHO, more than 652,000 travellers had already been screened by early October and almost 5,000 healthcare workers had received training in preventing and treating the disease. The measures are aimed at early detection, contact tracing and preventing further transmission.
Bundibugyo virus disease is mainly transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is ill or has died from the disease. The WHO warns that the outbreak in Congo is still continuing and that cross-border travel increases the risk of new imported cases.
For Kenya, the second infection is primarily a test of contact tracing. The fact that the patient was already in quarantine indicates that the system reached a known contact. It says nothing yet about what happens next: the coming days will show whether other contacts develop symptoms.
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The confirmation of the second case and its link to the first patient are reported by AP and Kenyan news outlets. Differences in contact numbers have been stated transparently and not presented as a single fixed figure.
- confirmed Kenya confirmed a second case of Bundibugyo virus disease on 14 October. — AP and The Eastleigh Voice report this based on Kenya’s Ministry of Health. source
- confirmed The patient is a 39-year-old close relative of the first patient and was in quarantine. — This is reported by AP and The Eastleigh Voice. source
- confirmed The authorities say there is no evidence of community transmission. — This is the assessment AP attributes to the Kenyan ministry. source
- confirmed The first Kenyan case was imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo via Uganda. — The WHO describes the travel history and classifies it as an imported case. source
- confirmed By early October, Kenya had screened more than 652,000 travellers and trained around 5,000 healthcare workers. — These figures appear in the WHO publication on the first infection. source
Editor's note
The second infection, the quarantine and the link to the first case have been confirmed. Contact numbers vary by source and counting point; there is no independent confirmation that transmission outside the known contacts has been completely ruled out.Sources
- Kenya confirms second Ebola case, a relative of first patient — Associated Press
- Ministry of Health confirms Kenya's second Ebola case — The Eastleigh Voice
- Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus — Democratic Republic of the Congo — World Health Organization
- Kenya confirms first imported Bundibugyo virus disease case; WHO supports control efforts — WHO Regional Office for Africa
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „kenia ebola”
- NU.nl — „kenia ebola”
- De Telegraaf — „kenia ebola”