Kenya announced Tuesday its first Ebola-related death, involving a Kenyan national who contracted the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Health Minister Aden Duale told reporters that the man contracted the disease about a month ago and received treatment in the Democratic Republic of Congo before traveling by land to the Ugandan capital Kampala and then flying to Nairobi on October 3.
He was tested after arriving in Nairobi and confirmed to have Ebola before he “sadly passed away last night,” the minister said.
Authorities have so far identified 28 people who came into contact with the man, including family members and healthcare workers, and placed them under monitoring to reduce the risk of transmission.
The Democratic Republic of Congo announced on May 15 that it was experiencing its 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976.
As of October 2, the World Health Organization had recorded 8,463 cases and 4,082 deaths linked to Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola virus for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
