Kenya Reports First Imported Ebola Case

Kenya's Ministry of Health has verified the nation's first case of Ebola brought in from Congo. On Tuesday, October 6, Health Minister Aden Duale stated that a Kenyan national who had returned from Congo through Uganda on Saturday was placed in isolation and given care at Nairobi Hospital. After showing symptoms linked to hemorrhagic fever, the patient tested positive for the virus. The individual died late Monday while undergoing treatment. Authorities have raised the country's alert level and are watching for any further infections. Duale said 28 contacts have been identified, among them relatives and medical staff who attended to the patient. Officials are also trying to locate 23 other passengers who were on the same flight from Uganda. According to Patrick Amoth, the ministry's director, those contacts will stay isolated for 21 days and will be released once they test negative. The deceased will be buried within a day, in line with recommended public safety measures. In the current outbreak, first declared in eastern Congo in mid-May, Kenya becomes the fourth nation to report a case. Uganda has recorded 20 cases and France one. Before Kenya's announcement, no active cases had existed outside Congo since Uganda declared its outbreak over in late August. As yet, no vaccine or targeted treatment has been approved, and the outbreak is attributed to the uncommon Bundibugyo virus.