Third case confirmed in quarantine

Kenya's health ministry confirmed on Friday, 16 October, a third Ebola infection in the country. The patient is a 65-year-old woman who is a close relative of the first two cases. She had been in quarantine since 6 October, and after she developed fever, sore throat and malaise she was isolated and samples were taken. The ministry says she has since been moved to the Infectious Disease Unit, where trained health workers are giving supportive care. The strain is Bundibugyo, the same one spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Kenyan authorities now count three confirmed cases and one death.

How the cluster began

The first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan man, travelled by road from the DRC to Uganda and then took a flight to Nairobi on 3 October, according to Deutsche Welle. He died at a Nairobi hospital on 5 October. A 39-year-old relative who had been under quarantine developed symptoms from 13 October and is now confirmed as the second case, and The Independent reports he remains in stable condition. The Independent also says the first patient had passed through three Ebola-affected provinces in Congo. The ministry has said both cases are connected.

“Both cases are linked, and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community.”

In the DRC, Europa Press reports more than 4,500 deaths and 9,300 cases, while an earlier Deutsche Welle figure was 4,400 deaths and over 9,000 cases.

Contact tracing

Tracing figures have moved between reports. The ministry's latest count puts 127 of 130 registered contacts (97.7%) as located and in quarantine, a share it says is above the 85% global benchmark for breaking the chain of transmission. An earlier Deutsche Welle report from the same day counted 128 contacts of the first patient, with 113 identified and five either abroad or at unknown locations. The Independent adds that three contacts linked to the first case have not yet been traced, and that efforts to trace people who interacted with the patient in Uganda and Congo have also faced challenges.

Contacts registered130

Located and in quarantine127

Contacts registered

130 people

Located and in quarantine

127 people

Data from the article text

Border screening and public response

Kenya has stepped up screening at border crossings nationwide, and flights arriving from 10 countries identified as being at the centre of the outbreak are routed to a designated gate at Nairobi's main airport. At the Busia crossing with Uganda, AP witnessed enhanced screening, with travellers washing their hands and having their temperatures checked. Health workers are asking communities to share information when they suspect contact with a patient. Dr Barbara Muttimos of Médecins Sans Frontières told AP that people should be honest about their exposures and disclose travel history and symptoms, and that survival chances are higher when the virus is detected early.

Public anxiety and symptoms

Deutsche Welle reports rising public anxiety, including fears of lockdowns and economic disruption, along with scepticism about government readiness. Residents told the outlet the government appeared caught unaware, especially at the point of entry used by the first patient, and one woman called for more public education on the disease. Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary for Health, has urged Kenyans to stay alert and go to the nearest medical facility if they develop symptoms. According to the WHO, symptoms can appear 2 to 21 days after infection and typically begin with fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, before vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and kidney and liver infection may follow. Because early symptoms overlap with malaria and typhoid, only an Ebola test can confirm the virus.