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Kenya confirms first Ebola case after patient dies in Nairobi

Kenya

Kenya confirms first Ebola case after patient dies in Nairobi

Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case on Tuesday after a man who had returned from Congo died at Nairobi Hospital. Health Minister Aden Duale said it was also the country’s first death from the disease.

The Kenyan citizen had lived in Congo for seven years. He travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda, then flew to Nairobi, arriving on Saturday afternoon.

He had fallen ill about a month earlier and received treatment at several hospitals before reaching Kenya. The available details do not specify where he was infected.

In Nairobi, he was isolated and treated at Nairobi Hospital. He tested positive for Ebola and died late Monday.

Kenyan health authorities began urgent contact tracing and put the country’s border points on high alert. They are also monitoring for possible additional cases.

Ebola spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated materials such as bedding and clothing. Symptoms can begin with fever, sore throat, muscle pain and headaches, and may later include vomiting and diarrhoea.

The case is linked to an outbreak in Congo that began spreading months before it was declared in mid-May. Government figures cited in the report put the outbreak at at least 8,400 cases and more than 4,000 deaths; it does not establish whether any further cases have been found in Kenya.

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