Kenya confirms first Ebola patient came from Congo, died Monday

Health authorities in Kenya confirmed an Ebola infection in a traveller who recently arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking the first imported case linked to the outbreak in central Africa.

The Kenyan citizen fell ill in Congo a month ago and travelled by road to the Ugandan capital, Health Secretary Aden Duale told reporters in the capital, Nairobi, on Tuesday. The patient arrived in the Kenyan capital on October 3 by plane and died Monday, he said.

The authorities have listed 28 contacts including family members, plane passengers and health workers, he said.

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“The patient was given supportive treatment, but regrettably passed on last night,” Duale said.

The case comes as the World Health Organisation warns the outbreak in eastern Congo is “outpacing” responders amid violence, displacement and weak surveillance systems. The crisis is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or antibody treatments.

More than 8 000 people have been infected and at least 4 000 have died since the outbreak was declared almost five months ago.

Kenya, East Africa’s biggest economy, in June halted construction of a US-funded Ebola isolation facility at a military airbase after the project was frozen by a High Court judge. The plan also sparked popular protests by local residents who said the facility would expose their community to a high risk of contagion from the deadly virus.

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