Kenya’s health ministry confirms second Ebola case

A relative of the first case, 39-year-old man’s infection raises concerns of a cross-border spread.

A Kenyan Ministry of Health official checks the temperature of a traveller at the Busia One Stop Border Post (OSBP) on the Kenya-Uganda border as health authorities step up Ebola screening measures, in Busia on October 12, 2026. [AFP]

Kenya has reported a second Ebola infection, about a week after confirming its first-ever case of the disease when a citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) travelled to Kenya and died two days later at a Nairobi hospital.

The second patient, a 39-year-old man who is a close family member of the first case, fell ill on Tuesday and was already in quarantine when he came down with symptoms of fever, fatigue and joint pain, the Ministry of Health said in a statement Wednesday.

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) customs officials check passports and identity for passengers at the arrival screening point at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on October 7, 2026 [AFP]

Last week’s case raised concerns about deficiencies in border screening systems in the region after the patient drove from the DRC to Uganda and flew to Nairobi from there.

list 1 of 3 Kenya confirms first Ebola case as man dies in Nairobi after DRC return

list 2 of 3 Kenya on high alert amid concern over screening after first Ebola death

list 3 of 3 Why single Ebola death in Kenya has prompted fears of wider African spread

Given the closure of the border between the DRC and Uganda since May because of the outbreak of the virus, it is not clear how he was able to enter the country.

Alan Kasujja, executive director of the Ugandan government’s media centre, questioned how Kenya allowed the man to enter via its airport.

“Leave Uganda out of this conversation. We don’t have Ebola here,” he wrote on X.

When asked how the patient was able to travel through three countries undetected, Kenya’s Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said last week that a meeting was scheduled with officials from the DRC and Uganda and the Africa CDC to investigate.

Port health officials from Kenya’s Ministry of Health monitor data as they wait for passengers at the arrival screening point at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on October 7, 2026 [AFP]

Kenya has intensified its national response to the disease since the country recorded the first case. At the time, Kenya traced everyone who came in contact with the patient and reported at least 57 people, with 10 immediately quarantined, Health Minister Aden Duale told journalists on October 7.

Kenya is the fourth country to record a case linked to the Ebola epidemic in the DRC, the second-largest on record globally with more than 9,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths.

Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths earlier in the year but was declared Ebola-free in August. A doctor who returned to France in June from the DRC tested positive, but there was no further spread of the virus.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, whether living or dead. The disease can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

The second patient is currently at a designated treatment centre, where he is receiving the appropriate care, the Health Ministry said. It will continue to share information on his progress, the ministry added.

一名39岁男子是首例病例的亲属，他的感染引发了人们对跨境传播的担忧。

2026年10月12日，在肯尼亚-乌干达边境的布西亚一站式边境检查站（OSBP），一名肯尼亚卫生部官员正在为一名旅客检查体温。与此同时，卫生部门正在加强埃博拉病毒筛查措施。[法新社]

肯尼亚报告了第二例埃博拉感染病例，大约一周前，该国确认了首例埃博拉病例。一名居住在刚果民主共和国（DRC）的公民前往肯尼亚，两天后在内罗毕一家医院去世。

卫生部周三发表声明称，第二名患者是一名39岁的男子，是第一例病例的近亲，他于周二发病，在出现发烧、疲劳和关节疼痛症状时已被隔离。

2026年10月7日，肯尼亚机场管理局（KAA）海关官员在内罗毕乔莫·肯雅塔国际机场的入境安检处检查乘客的护照和身份证件。[法新社]

上周的病例引发了人们对该地区边境筛查系统缺陷的担忧，该患者从刚果民主共和国开车前往乌干达，然后从那里飞往内罗毕。

肯尼亚确诊首例埃博拉病例，一名男子从刚果民主共和国返回后在内罗毕死亡（列表1/3）：肯尼亚确认首例埃博拉病例，该男子在内罗毕死亡。

肯尼亚首例埃博拉死亡病例后，筛查工作令人担忧，目前处于高度戒备状态（共3个名单中的第2个）。

列表 3/3：为何肯尼亚一例埃博拉死亡病例引发了人们对埃博拉疫情在非洲更广泛传播的担忧

由于刚果民主共和国和乌干达之间的边境自 5 月以来因病毒爆发而关闭，目前尚不清楚他是如何进入该国的。

乌干达政府媒体中心执行主任艾伦·卡苏贾质疑肯尼亚为何允许该男子通过其机场入境。

“别把乌干达扯进来。我们这里没有埃博拉，”他在X上写道。

当被问及该患者是如何在不被发现的情况下穿越三个国家时，肯尼亚卫生总干事帕特里克·阿莫斯上周表示，已安排与刚果民主共和国、乌干达和非洲疾控中心的官员举行会议进行调查。

2026年10月7日，肯尼亚卫生部港口卫生官员在内罗毕乔莫·肯雅塔国际机场的入境筛查点等待乘客时，监测相关数据。[法新社]

自肯尼亚出现首例病例以来，该国已加强了应对疫情的全国性措施。卫生部长阿登·杜阿莱于10月7日告诉记者，当时肯尼亚追踪了所有与患者有过接触的人员，并报告了至少57人，其中10人立即被隔离。

肯尼亚是第四个记录到与刚果民主共和国埃博拉疫情相关的病例的国家，刚果民主共和国是全球有记录以来第二大埃博拉疫情国家，已有超过 9000 例病例和 4000 多人死亡。

乌干达今年早些时候报告了20例埃博拉病例和2例死亡，但于8月宣布该国已无埃博拉疫情。一名6月从刚果民主共和国返回法国的医生检测结果呈阳性，但病毒没有进一步传播。

埃博拉病毒通过与感染者（无论生死）的体液直接接触传播。该疾病可引起发烧、呕吐、腹泻，严重时还会导致内出血和外出血。

卫生部表示，第二名患者目前已在指定治疗中心接受妥善治疗，并将继续通报其病情进展情况。