Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, has insisted that the country is not experiencing an Ebola outbreak despite confirming its first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease, after the infected patient died in Nairobi.
Duale said the case should be treated as an isolated imported incident linked to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the patient had lived for seven years before returning to Kenya.
“There’s no Ebola outbreak in Kenya,” Duale said, adding that authorities had established the patient’s movements from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda to Nairobi and were working to identify everyone who may have been exposed.
The patient fell ill in the Democratic Republic of Congo and received treatment at several health facilities before travelling by road to Kampala, Uganda, and then flying to Nairobi on Oct. 3. He was taken to Nairobi Hospital after arrival, where he was isolated and tested positive for Bundibugyo virus disease. He died on Oct. 5.
57 contacts identified
Duale said health authorities had identified 57 contacts linked to the patient, an increase from the initial 55 identified during the early investigation.
Ten of those contacts have been placed under quarantine at the National Police Service Hospital in Nairobi, where they are undergoing daily monitoring. Authorities are continuing efforts to locate and assess the remaining contacts.
Health authorities are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same Jambojet flight as the patient.
The Ministry of Health said the patient’s diagnosis was confirmed independently by the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute. As of Oct. 6, authorities had tested 267 samples, with only one returning positive.
Surveillance intensified
Although Duale said there was no outbreak in the country, Kenya has significantly strengthened its preparedness and surveillance measures.
More than 652,000 travellers have been screened since the country heightened its Ebola alert in May, while 4,971 health workers at national and county levels have received training in Ebola prevention and case management.
The government has also intensified screening at points of entry, including a dedicated screening gate at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for passengers arriving from countries connected to the current regional Ebola situation.
Temporary isolation centres have been identified at Malaba and Kocholia border points, while the Alupe facility is undergoing renovation.
Five health facilities have been designated to isolate and manage suspected and confirmed cases, including Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, National Police Service Hospital, Port Reitz Hospital and Nairobi Hospital.
Nairobi Hospital has a 133 bed Ebola isolation unit, while the combined capacity of the designated facilities can be expanded if necessary.
Regional concern
Kenya’s case is linked to the ongoing Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The country is the fourth to confirm a case associated with the current regional outbreak, after the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and France reported cases. Uganda declared its latest outbreak over in August.
The World Health Organization is supporting Kenya with surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing, risk communication and infection prevention measures. WHO said Kenya’s preparedness score increased from 66 percent in May to 82 percent in July, reflecting improvements in surveillance, laboratory capacity, isolation facilities and trained response teams.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Janabi, said Kenya’s preparedness measures provided an important foundation but stressed the need for rapid identification of any additional cases to prevent further transmission.
The health ministry has urged Kenyans to remain vigilant without panic, practise regular hand hygiene, avoid close contact with people showing symptoms and seek medical attention promptly when illness or possible exposure occurs.
The distinction between an imported case and a domestic outbreak remains important for Kenya’s public health response. While no local transmission has been confirmed, continued contact tracing, surveillance and rapid testing will be critical to establishing whether the virus has spread beyond the initial case.
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