How Kenya courted Ebola: The virus that came close, eventually entered the border
The threat began thousands of kilometres away in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but geography and human movement steadily pulled it closer.
Kenya has announced its first Ebola fatality as the disease outbreak continues to expand, according to health officials. The victim was a Kenyan national who had resided in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years. Health Minister Aden Duale disclosed that the patient fell ill a month ago and received treatment in multiple hospitals within the DRC. However, the individual succumbed to the virus just days after returning to Nairobi.
Duale revealed that the patient embarked on a flight on Saturday, passing through Kenya's main airport for routine public health screening before being escorted by a relative to a local hospital. Subsequent tests confirmed the presence of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus in the patient's system. The outbreak in DRC has resulted in over 4,000 deaths this year, marking it as the second-deadliest known Ebola outbreak to date.
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