On Wednesday, Kenya’s Health Ministry announced the confirmation of the nation’s second Ebola case, revealing that a relative of the individual who passed away two days after arriving from Congo had tested positive while under quarantine.
According to the ministry, the 39-year-old man is a close relative of Kenya’s initial Ebola case and began showing symptoms on Tuesday.
The first identified patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan, had been residing in Congo, where he fell ill and received treatment at two healthcare facilities. He traveled through three provinces affected by Ebola before departing the country, arriving in neighboring Uganda on October 1. He then flew to Kenya, where a family member picked him up at the airport and transported him to a hospital. He started treatment and was confirmed positive for Ebola on October 5, the same day he died.
Health authorities tracked approximately 128 contacts connected to the initial case, with 108 of those individuals placed in quarantine. Five contacts are located outside of Kenya, and officials in those countries have been informed, as reported by Kenya’s Ministry of Health.
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The second identified patient was included among those in quarantine. The Health Ministry stated that the early identification of the infection “enhances his chances of recovery.”
The ministry indicated that the two cases are connected, with “no evidence of spread within the community.”
In response to the first Ebola case, Kenya has intensified screening measures at its border points and airports, encouraging the public to adopt precautions and report any suspected cases via an emergency hotline.