Kenya quarantines 10 after first Ebola death, traces 57 more contacts
Ten people who had contact with a man who died from Ebola in Kenya have been placed under quarantine, according to health authorities.
Officials are also working to locate 57 additional people who may have been exposed to the patient, who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) before dying at a hospital in Nairobi on Monday.
The case marks Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola infection and has raised questions about the effectiveness of the country’s screening procedures.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Director-General Jean Kaseya told the BBC that the patient had reportedly been ill for about a month but travelled through several locations in the DRC, continued by road into Uganda and later flew to Kenya without being detected as a suspected Ebola case.
Kaseya said the patient travelled from Buta in northern DRC to Kisangani, then flew to Beni before travelling by road to Uganda and eventually taking a flight to Nairobi.
He questioned how the patient, who had reportedly been experiencing symptoms, managed to pass through several checkpoints without being identified.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood and vomit.
The ongoing outbreak in the DRC, which was first reported in May, involves the relatively uncommon Bundibugyo strain of the virus. There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment specifically for this strain, although clinical trials are ongoing.
Kaseya said the Africa CDC was investigating the case in collaboration with health authorities in the DRC, while a team from the organisation was expected to engage Kenya’s health authorities.
Kenyan Health Ministry official Patrick Amoth suggested that the patient may have avoided detection at screening points after taking medication that suppressed his symptoms.
After arriving at Nairobi’s airport, the patient was taken to hospital by a relative, where he later died. His burial took place on Tuesday under strict public health protocols.
Kenyan authorities have appealed for calm, assuring the public that surveillance has been intensified at airports and border crossings.
However, Dr Dennis Miskellah of Kenya’s main doctors’ union said the development was not unexpected, citing what he described as weaknesses in screening at several border crossings with Uganda and Tanzania, as well as at Kenya’s main international airport.
He questioned how someone who had reportedly been sick for more than a month in the DRC could travel through several countries and enter Kenya through its main gateway without being identified.
The Health Ministry says it has strengthened its response through collaboration with county authorities, humanitarian organisations and other partners.
President William Ruto has also said surveillance and rapid-response teams have been deployed, building on systems established following the Ebola outbreak in the DRC in May.
The President’s spokesperson said Kenya was capable of detecting, isolating and treating suspected Ebola cases. More than 650,000 travellers have reportedly been screened so far, while 267 samples have been tested.
Four major hospitals have also been designated to manage Ebola patients, including Nairobi Hospital, where Kenya’s first confirmed patient died.
Earlier in June, plans by the United States to establish an Ebola treatment facility at a military base in Nanyuki, central Kenya, triggered public opposition over concerns about the potential spread of the virus across borders. A court subsequently halted the plan.
Health Minister Aden Duale told local broadcaster NTV on Wednesday that while the court matter remains pending, the government is considering converting the facility into what he described as the region’s first infectious disease hospital to respond to outbreaks such as Ebola.
More than 4,000 people have reportedly died from Ebola in the DRC this year, making it the second-deadliest known outbreak of the disease.
Uganda also recorded Ebola cases shortly after the DRC outbreak was declared in May, with two deaths reported. The World Health Organization declared Uganda free of Ebola in August.
Uganda’s Health Ministry on Tuesday reaffirmed that the country remains Ebola-free and said it continues to maintain heightened surveillance.
Authorities said the Kenyan patient spent less than 24 hours in transit through Uganda and had a normal temperature when he departed the country.
The Africa CDC says it is working with countries across the region to strengthen preparedness and response measures.
Kaseya described Kenya as well prepared to manage the case but warned that the same level of readiness may not exist across all countries in the region, stressing the importance of a coordinated regional response to contain the outbreak.
He also noted that rapid Ebola testing is not currently available at border crossings, meaning temperature checks remain a key screening method. However, he cautioned that temperature screening can be unreliable because medication may suppress a fever.
Dr Miskellah also raised concerns about relying heavily on travellers to voluntarily disclose their symptoms, arguing that inadequate public education and stigma surrounding Ebola could encourage some people to conceal their condition.
Source: BBC
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