Symbolic imageKenya confirms first Ebola death, imported from Congo
Kenya reported its first Ebola case on Tuesday: a man who returned from Congo and died in Nairobi. Authorities are tracing dozens of contacts.
Health minister Aden Duale said the man, a Kenyan who had lived in Congo for seven years, fell ill about a month earlier and was treated there. He travelled by road to Kampala, flew to Nairobi on Saturday, 3 October, and died in hospital on Monday evening. Ministry official Patrick Amoth told AFP that "the system did not work" and that the man likely knew he was ill, with medication possibly masking his fever (Le Monde).
Contact tracing
Duale said 28 contacts, including relatives and health workers, are listed, and officials are seeking 23 passengers and four crew from the flight. Politika, citing Kenyan media, reports that President William Ruto ordered the National Security Council committee to assess further measures.
Congo outbreak keeps growing
As of 2 October Congo had 8,442 to 8,463 confirmed cases and 4,080 to 4,082 deaths, according to the FT and the Guardian; there is no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain. MSF warned on Monday that North Kivu now accounts for 40% of new cases, up from 24% in late August.