Kenya confirms first Ebola case, patient has died

Kenya has recorded its first confirmed Ebola case. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

According to health minister Aden Duale, the patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and arrived in Nairobi on Saturday. The patient has since died.

Duale told a press conference that 28 contacts have been identified so far, including family members and health workers.

DRC outbreak history

The DRC has been battling its largest-ever Ebola outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo species.

The outbreak was declared in mid-May but may have started months earlier. So far it has resisted containment efforts, with the central African country recording more than 8,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths.

The outbreak spread to Uganda, which reported 20 cases and two deaths. However, the World Health Organization declared Uganda free of the disease in August.

How Ebola spreads

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the body fluids of infected people, living or dead. It can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.