Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has provided details of the movements of the patient linked to Kenya’s first confirmed case of Bundibugyo virus disease (BDBV), saying the patient travelled through the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda before arriving in Nairobi. Speaking during an interview, Duale said the case was imported into Kenya and maintained that the country was not dealing with a domestic Ebola outbreak.
The CS said health authorities had launched contact tracing and other containment measures to identify people who may have come into contact with the patient during his journey and after his arrival in Kenya.
Patient Travelled Through DRC and Uganda
According to Duale, the patient was initially infected in Eburu in northwestern DRC, where he sought medical attention after falling ill. He later travelled to Beni before proceeding by road to Kinshasa, from where he eventually flew to Kampala, Uganda, on October 1.
Duale said the patient bought a ticket to travel to Kenya on October 2 but did not disclose his illness during the journey. The CS said the patient was already receiving medication at the time and was not detected as having the disease while travelling.
Patient Taken to Nairobi Hospital
After arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), the patient was picked up by a relative and a friend in a Toyota Fielder and transported to Nairobi Hospital. Duale said the patient was initially isolated at the hospital’s emergency department before being moved to an isolation facility in the East Wing.
The facility, according to the CS, had previously been used during the COVID-19 pandemic and has a capacity of more than 145 beds. Medical assessments reportedly showed that the patient had several symptoms, including fever, severe fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, difficulty swallowing, sore throat and bleeding beneath the skin at an injection site. The symptoms prompted doctors to suspect a viral haemorrhagic fever, after which samples were collected for laboratory testing. The samples subsequently returned positive for Ebola.
Patient Dies After Month-Long Illness
Duale said the patient had been unwell for approximately one month before his death. By the time he arrived in Kenya, the CS said, the patient’s condition had deteriorated significantly and his organs were failing. Despite receiving supportive treatment at Nairobi Hospital, the patient died on Monday. The government officially announced Kenya’s first confirmed case and death from Bundibugyo virus disease on Tuesday.
Contact Tracing Intensified
Following confirmation of the case, health authorities expanded contact-tracing and quarantine measures to identify individuals who may have interacted with the patient. Duale said 11 family members and 23 healthcare workers had been placed under quarantine. Four crew members from the Jambojet flight on which the patient travelled to Nairobi were also being monitored.
Authorities are additionally tracing other people who may have come into contact with the patient, including airline cleaning staff and immigration officers who handled his entry into the country. Health teams are expected to continue monitoring identified contacts during the incubation period as part of efforts to detect any additional cases early.
Government Maintains Case Was Imported
The government has continued to describe the situation as an imported case, rather than a locally originated Ebola outbreak. Duale urged Kenyans to remain vigilant as health authorities continue surveillance, contact tracing and other response measures. The Ministry of Health has also encouraged the public to rely on official health information and to report relevant symptoms or possible exposure through the established public health channels.
