Kenya has confirmed nine Ebola cases, including one death, after the virus spread from DR Congo, the country’s Director-General for Health, Patrick Amoth, said during a WHO Africa virtual briefing on Thursday.
“We recorded our first imported case of EVD on the 6th of October. A Kenyan national who had been doing business in DR Congo <…> Sadly, he passed away after about 48 hours despite treatment by the clinical team,” Amoth said.
Health authorities have identified 135 contacts, with around 120 people in quarantine. Eight patients remain in isolation at two Nairobi hospitals, where officials say they are stable and responding well to treatment.
“We have requested, with the support of WHO and Africa CDC, 10,000 doses of vaccine through WHO,” Amoth added.
WHO Emergency Response Manager Otim Patrick Ramadan said Kenya’s first case had been linked to an existing transmission chain in DR Congo, although investigators were still working to establish how the patient was exposed.
“The teams are also investigating further to be able to get additional information on the specific exposure that could have happened,” Ramadan said.
On Nigeria’s recently confirmed imported case, Ramadan said investigators had yet to establish where the patient was infected.
“For the Nigeria case, I think it’s still too early at this moment to be able to determine,” he said.
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak was declared in DR Congo in May 2026. By October 19, the country had recorded 9,637 confirmed cases and 4,646 deaths, according to WHO figures.
Nigeria has also confirmed an imported case, prompting calls for stronger surveillance, contact tracing and cross-border coordination.
WHO says there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, although experimental interventions are being studied.
Source: Viory
