Kenya has confirmed a second case of Ebola, approximately ten days after a Kenyan businessman died of the virus in Nairobi following travel from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The second patient, a 39-year-old man and close family member of the first case, fell ill on Tuesday and was already in quarantine when he developed symptoms including fever, fatigue, and joint pain. He is currently receiving care at a designated treatment centre.
Kenya's Ministry of Health said detecting the illness early had improved his chances of recovery and reduced the risk of further transmission. The ministry urged the public to "stay calm but vigilant."
"Both cases are linked, and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community," the ministry said. "Kenya remains open, with no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings."
The first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan man, died on 5 October, two days after being admitted to a Nairobi hospital. A relative had taken him there shortly after collecting him from the airport. He had travelled from DR Congo through Uganda to Kenya without his illness being detected at any border or airport screening point.
Since his death, officials determined he had been in contact with 128 people. By Tuesday, 113 of them had been located. Of those, 108 were in quarantine in Kenya, while tracing of the remaining 15 was continuing.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reconstructed the first patient's movements over the six weeks leading up to his death. It found he first began feeling unwell in DR Congo on 15 September. Several opportunities to detect the infection were missed, including during multiple visits to Congolese medical facilities and at airport screenings in the region.
Health experts said the case highlights the limitations of relying on temperature checks and self-declarations at border crossings.
The patient's route through Uganda drew a sharp response from Ugandan officials. Alan Kasujja, executive director of the Ugandan government's media centre, questioned how Kenya had allowed the man to enter via its airport. "Leave Uganda out of this conversation. We don't have Ebola here," he wrote on X.
The border between DR Congo and Uganda has been closed since May due to the Ebola outbreak, and it remains unclear how the patient was able to enter Uganda. Kenya's Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said last week that a meeting had been scheduled with officials from DR Congo, Uganda, and the Africa CDC to investigate.
Kenya is the fourth country to record a case linked to the current DR Congo Ebola epidemic. Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths earlier in the year but was declared Ebola-free in August. A doctor who returned to France from DR Congo in June tested positive, but no further spread was recorded there.
The ongoing outbreak in DR Congo, which began in May, has recorded more than 9,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths, making it the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record globally. It has been caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, which is relatively rare and has no approved vaccine or treatment, though trials are under way.
The incubation period for Ebola ranges from two to 21 days, meaning those exposed may not show symptoms for several weeks. The virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals, whether living or dead, and can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
Kenya's Ministry of Health urged anyone experiencing fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, or unexplained bleeding to "seek care promptly at the nearest health facility."
