Kenya confirms second Ebola case, a 39-year-old relative of the first patient

Kenya's Ministry of Health confirmed a second case of Ebola (Bundibugyo virus disease) on 14 October, in a 39-year-old man who is a close family member of the first patient, the Kenyan daily The Standard reported the same day.

The man was already in quarantine, with daily monitoring, when he developed fever, fatigue and joint pains on 13 October. Health teams immediately isolated him and collected samples. Both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the KEMRI-CDC laboratory returned positive results. He is now in a designated treatment centre receiving supportive care.

Kenya has recorded two confirmed cases and one death, Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth said on 14 October, as quoted by the Kenyan news website Kenyans.co.ke. Authorities say the two cases are linked and that there is no evidence of community transmission. The Associated Press quoted the ministry as saying there was "no evidence of spread in the community".

The first case was announced on 6 October. The patient, a Kenyan who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years, arrived in Nairobi on 3 October, Xinhua reported on 6 October. Relatives took him from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport straight to Nairobi Hospital, and he was quickly moved to an isolation facility. He died on the night of 5 October. The Associated Press reported on 14 October that he was 40 and tested positive on 5 October, the day he died.

Contact tracing for the first case identified 128 contacts. By 13 October, 113 had been traced. Of those, 108 are quarantined in Kenya for 21 days, with daily checks. Five are outside Kenya, and the relevant health authorities were notified under the International Health Regulations (2005). Tracing of the remaining 15 continues.

Officials are now assessing people who had contact with the second patient after his symptoms began, including quarantine personnel and healthcare workers. Infection prevention and control measures have been strengthened at quarantine and treatment facilities, and the World Health Organization has been notified.

Kenya has not introduced restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings, the Kenyan newspaper People Daily reported. Amoth urged Kenyans to remain calm and seek medical attention promptly if symptoms develop. He said Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with, or has died from, the disease, and not through the air.

Symptoms to watch for are fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pains, vomiting, diarrhoea and unexplained bleeding. The public can call 719, dial *719# or send a WhatsApp message to 0700719719.