Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a man who recently flew from the Democratic Republic of Congo died. The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had lived in DR Congo for seven years, returned to Kenya on Saturday and later tested positive for the rare Ebola Bundibugyo virus.
Patient's journey and symptoms
Kenyan Cabinet Secretary of Health Aden Duale said the patient had fallen ill about a month earlier and received treatment in several hospitals in DR Congo. He boarded a flight back to the Kenyan capital on Saturday. After arriving at the main airport, the patient underwent normal public screening before being transferred by a relative to a hospital in the city.
After transfer, the patient "developed fever, chills, intense fatigue and weakness, painful swallowing, muscle pain and bleeding under the skin." Duale said: "Doctors suspected a viral haemorrhagic fever based on his symptoms and travel history and collected samples for testing. The sample tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo virus."
Outbreak toll and spread
So far, 28 contacts have been identified, including family members and health workers. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. It is described as rare and highly infectious.
More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola in DR Congo this year, with more than 8,000 cases, making it the second most deadly known outbreak of the disease. The outbreak earlier spread to Uganda, which reported 20 cases and two deaths, but the World Health Organization declared Uganda free of the disease in August.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, living or dead. It can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
