Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has moved to reassure the public after the country confirmed its first case of Ebola, saying the infection should not be mistaken for an outbreak.
Speaking on a local TV station on Wednesday, Duale said Kenya had recorded an imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease involving a Kenyan who contracted the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) before travelling through Uganda to Nairobi.
“We don’t have an Ebola outbreak in Kenya. What we have is an imported Ebola incident,” Duale said on Wednesday, October 7.
The patient had lived in the DRC for seven years and became ill about a month before travelling to Kenya. He received treatment in the DRC before travelling to Kampala, then flew to Nairobi on October 3.
After arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the patient was picked up by relatives and taken directly to Nairobi Hospital.
Doctors noticed symptoms including high fever, chills, fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, painful swallowing and a sore throat. He was placed in isolation as doctors investigated the possibility of Ebola.
Laboratory tests later confirmed that he had contracted Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease. The patient died on the night of October 5 after his condition deteriorated.
Duale said the government had moved quickly to trace people who may have come into contact with the patient during his journey and treatment.
The CS said 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers, had been identified and were being monitored. Authorities are also tracing passengers and crew members who travelled on the same flight from Uganda to Kenya.
Duale said Kenya had already put measures in place to prepare for imported Ebola cases. Authorities have screened about 650,000 travellers at 15 points of entry, and trained 4,900 healthcare workers in Ebola preparedness and response.
Health authorities had also investigated 276 suspected Ebola cases before the latest confirmation, with all previous tests returning negative.
Duale said the patient was taking medication when he arrived in Kenya, which may have affected his temperature and made it harder for routine thermal screening at the airport to detect signs of illness.
The government is working with the World Health Organisation and other health partners on surveillance, contact tracing and infection prevention.
Duale urged Kenyans to remain vigilant but avoid panic, saying the government was capable of containing the imported case.
“This is an important case, but we are prepared as a country,” he said.
The Health Ministry has advised the public to maintain good hygiene, wash hands regularly and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms or believe they may have been exposed to an infected person.
Duale maintained that Kenya’s confirmed case remains an imported incident and does not, by itself, mean the country is experiencing an Ebola outbreak.
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