Kenya reports first Ebola case after patient dies in Nairobi

Kenya has confirmed its first case and death from Ebola, according to reports by the Guardian, the BBC, and Al Jazeera on Tuesday. Health Minister Aden Duale stated that the patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo before flying to Nairobi on Saturday, where he later died. [1][2][3]

The BBC reported that the patient fell ill a month ago and received treatment in several hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Upon arrival at the main airport in Nairobi on Saturday, the man passed through normal public screening before being transferred by a relative, the BBC noted. The Guardian reported that health officials have identified 28 contacts following his death. [1][2]

The death comes as the disease spreads rapidly in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak was announced in May, according to the Guardian. As of October 2, 4,082 people had died out of 8,463 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Guardian added, while the BBC noted that more than 4,000 people have died from the disease there this year. The outbreak is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [1][2][11]

The BBC reported that there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola involved in the outbreak, although some have been trialled. [2]