A race against time to prevent an outbreak follows Kenya's first Ebola death

Kenya has confirmed its first imported case of Ebola, a man who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and travelled through Uganda to Nairobi, where he later died. According to Egypt Independent, the man had been ill for weeks and passed airport health screening in both Uganda and Kenya without being flagged. He had symptoms including fever, chills, and bleeding beneath his skin when he arrived in Nairobi on October 3.

The Kenyan government is now racing against time to prevent the infection from becoming an outbreak, with health officials trying to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the man. RFI English reports that the case has exposed failings in border screening processes. The World Health Organization (WHO) had recorded 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 deaths in the DRC as of Wednesday.

The Kenyan government has stepped up screening and surveillance measures, particularly in border counties, and urged residents to follow health guidelines to protect themselves against Ebola. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, according to KBC, called for increased vigilance in border counties, including Bungoma. The Kenya Red Cross is supporting the government’s efforts to prevent a public health crisis, France 24 reports.

Brief written by urgent.news from RFI English, Egypt Independent, KBC, France 24, People Daily Kenya — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.