Kenya confirmed a second Ebola case on Wednesday, October 14, in a relative of its first patient who became ill while in quarantine, with officials reporting no evidence of wider community spread.
The Health Ministry said the 39-year-old man developed fever, fatigue and joint pain on Tuesday, October 13; tests at two laboratories confirmed infection with Bundibugyo virus disease. He was already being monitored as a contact, and health workers isolated him when symptoms appeared before transferring him to a designated treatment centre for supportive care. Kenya’s first patient, a 40-year-old man who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, tested positive in Nairobi on October 5 and died that day.
He had travelled through Uganda before reaching Kenya, prompting officials to trace people who may have been exposed along the way. By October 13, authorities had identified 128 contacts linked to the first case and traced 113 of them; 108 were quarantined in Kenya, while five were abroad and their host countries had been notified. The ministry said teams were still seeking the remaining contacts and assessing people who may have encountered the second patient after he became ill, including health and quarantine workers.
Officials said contacts would be monitored for 21 days and that Kenya had stepped up screening at airports and border crossings.