Kenya confirms first Ebola death as outbreak spreads

Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola case and death, as the country's Health Minister, Aden Duale, announced that a Kenyan national who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years has died in Nairobi. The patient, who fell ill about a month ago, received treatment at several hospitals in the DRC before travelling to Kenya.

The patient travelled by road from the DRC to Kampala, Uganda, before boarding a flight to Nairobi on Saturday. After being admitted to Nairobi Hospital, the patient was transferred to an isolation facility built during the COVID-19 pandemic. Doctors suspected a viral haemorrhagic fever based on the patient's symptoms and travel history and collected samples for testing, which tested positive for the Ebola Bundibugyo virus.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a relatively rare strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.