Kenya confirms first imported Ebola case; patient dies

Kenya has confirmed its first imported case of Ebola, after a traveller who fell ill in the Democratic Republic of Congo died in a Nairobi hospital.
The patient, a Kenyan man who had lived in Congo for seven years, fell ill about a month ago and travelled by road to Kampala before flying to Nairobi on Jambojet flight 8523 on October 3. He died on Monday night.
Health officials said the infection was caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. A total of 28 contacts have been listed, and the 23 passengers and four crew members of the flight are being traced and placed under 21-day isolation.
Kenya has screened 652,584 travellers since May under heightened surveillance linked to the Congo outbreak. In the DRC, more than 8,000 people have been infected and over 4,000 have died since May 2026, according to officials.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the case on Tuesday. Hospitals have been told to isolate any patient with bleeding symptoms pending test results.
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