Kenya confirms first Ebola death after traveller returned from DR Congo

• Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola death after a citizen returned from DR Congo infected with the Bundibugyo strain.

• The patient travelled through Uganda before flying into Nairobi and later died in an isolation facility.

• Health officials are tracing more than 50 people, including family members, healthcare workers, passengers and flight crew.

• The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine, while DR Congo's outbreak has already killed over 4,000 people.

Kenya has confirmed its first-ever Ebola-related death, after a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) for the past seven years died shortly after returning to Nairobi.

The case has raised fresh concerns across East Africa as the deadly Ebola outbreak in DR Congo continues to spread, with thousands of lives already lost.

According to Kenya's Health Minister, Aden Duale, the patient had been ill for about a month while in DR Congo and received treatment at several hospitals before deciding to return home.

The patient travelled by road from DR Congo to Uganda's capital, Kampala, before boarding a flight to Nairobi on Saturday. Authorities said the traveller passed the routine health screening at Nairobi's main airport because symptoms were not severe enough to trigger detection at the time.

After arriving in the city, a relative took the patient to Nairobi Hospital, where doctors later transferred him to a specialised isolation facility originally built during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While receiving treatment, the patient's condition worsened rapidly.

"It was there that the patient developed fever, chills, intense fatigue and weakness, painful swallowing, muscle pain and bleeding under the skin."

Doctors immediately suspected a viral haemorrhagic fever because of the patient's symptoms and recent travel history.

"The sample tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo virus," Duale confirmed.

The patient died at 11:30 p.m. local time on Monday. Kenyan authorities said burial would take place under strict public health guidelines to reduce the risk of further infections.

READ ALSO: 10-year-old, two others crushed to death on overcrowded boat trying to cross sea to UK

Health officials have identified at least 28 close contacts, including family members and healthcare workers.

Authorities are also tracing another 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight into Nairobi.

Despite growing public concern, Duale appealed for calm.

He urged Kenyans "not to panic, as all systems are in place to mitigate the spread of the disease."

The minister also instructed healthcare workers to remain alert.

He asked them to be "extra vigilant and maintain the highest infection prevention and control measures regardless of the condition being treated."

Health officials confirmed that the patient was infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

Unlike the Zaire strain, which has approved vaccines and treatments, the Bundibugyo variant remains relatively rare and currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

Researchers are however working on several vaccine candidates, with one entering human clinical trials earlier this year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the ongoing outbreak in DR Congo has become one of the deadliest Ebola outbreaks ever recorded.

So far, more than 8,400 confirmed cases and over 4,000 deaths have been recorded, although aid organisations believe the real figures could be higher because many cases in remote conflict areas go unreported.

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) recently warned that the outbreak is spreading rapidly.

The organisation described the situation as spreading "like a megafire," with new hotspots emerging across North Kivu Province.

According to MSF, infections have increased sharply since early September, with North Kivu now accounting for almost 40% of newly confirmed cases nationwide.

Years of armed conflict, population displacement and weak healthcare systems have made it much harder for health workers to contain the virus.

READ ALSO: More than 100 Nigerians in Canada want to write JAMB — here’s why

Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood, vomit, saliva and other body secretions. It is not spread through the air like the common cold or COVID-19.

Common symptoms include:

• Fever

• Severe weakness and fatigue

• Muscle pain

• Chills

• Sore throat

• Vomiting and diarrhoea

• Internal and external bleeding in severe cases

Public health experts advise travellers returning from affected countries to monitor their health closely and seek immediate medical attention if symptoms appear.

Although there is no Ebola outbreak in Nigeria at the moment, health authorities across Africa continue to monitor cross-border travel closely as countries work to prevent the virus from spreading beyond DR Congo.