Kenya confirms second Ebola case as cross-border screening faces scrutiny
Health authorities are tracing potential exposures following an imported infection, highlighting the challenges of detecting infectious diseases during international travel
Kenya has confirmed a second Ebola case after a relative of a man who died following travel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) tested positive for the virus.
The 39-year-old patient developed symptoms on 13 October while already in quarantine, according to Kenya’s Ministry of Health. Officials said the two cases were linked, with no evidence of wider community transmission.
The first patient, a 40-year-old businessman, died on 5 October after travelling from the DRC through Uganda to Kenya without his infection being detected.
An investigation by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) identified missed opportunities to detect the virus during his journey, raising questions about the effectiveness of airport health screening.
Kenyan authorities have identified 128 contacts linked to the first patient, of whom 113 had been traced as of 14 October. Efforts to locate the remaining 15 are continuing.
As of Tuesday 13 October, the DRC had recorded more than 9,000 confirmed Ebola infections and 4,381 deaths in the country’s largest outbreak on record. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo species, for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment is currently available.
Kenya has maintained that there is no need for restrictions on travel, trade, or public gatherings.
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