Kenya confirms second Ebola case - a relative of the first victim
It follows the death last week of a man who had arrived in Kenya after travelling from DR Congo.
Key points
- Kenya has confirmed a second Ebola case, a 39-year-old male relative of the first victim.
- The first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan businessman, died on 5 October after traveling from DR Congo via Uganda.
- 113 of 128 contacts have been found; 108 are in quarantine in Kenya.
Kenya's health ministry has confirmed a second case of Ebola, 10 days after a businessman died of the virus. The new patient is a 39-year-old man and a close relative of the first case, who fell ill on Tuesday while already in quarantine.
The first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan man, died on 5 October after being admitted to a hospital in Nairobi. He had traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda to Kenya without his illness being detected.
What officials said
The health ministry said early detection of the second patient's illness had improved his chances of recovery and limited the chance of him passing the virus to others. It urged the public to "stay calm but vigilant".
The ministry stated that both cases are linked and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community. It added that Kenya remains open, with no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings.
Both cases are linked, and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community
— Kenya's health ministry
Contact tracing and outbreak details
Officials identified 128 people who had been in contact with the first patient. Since Tuesday, 113 of them have been found, with 108 in quarantine in Kenya and tracing of the remaining 15 continuing.
The current outbreak in DR Congo, which began in May, is caused by the relatively rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola. More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola in DR Congo this year, in the second most deadly known outbreak to date.
