Kenya confirms first Ebola case as man dies in Nairobi after DRC return

More than 4,000 people have died in the worst outbreak in the DR Congo’s history, with confirmed cases surpassing 8,300.

Kenya's Health Secretary Aden Duale said on Tuesday that a man infected with Ebola travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Uganda and Kenya, where he died in the capital, Nairobi [Simon Maina/AFP]

Kenya has confirmed its ‌‌first Ebola case after the death of a Kenyan national in Nairobi, who had returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The patient, who had lived in the DRC for seven years, had been ill for about a month before travelling by road from the DRC to Uganda’s capital, Kampala, and then flying to ⁠⁠Nairobi on Saturday, Aden Duale, Kenya’s health secretary, told a news conference on Tuesday.

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Seeking to halt local transmission, Kenya’s President William Ruto said at least eight family members of the victim and 21 healthcare workers have been quarantined, as he ordered an enhanced response to contain the virus in the country.

Earlier, Health Secretary Duale said 28 contacts, including family members and health workers who cared for the patient, had been identified. Another 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight from Uganda were being traced.

Patrick Amoth, director-general of the Kenyan Ministry of Health, said the contacts will remain in isolation for 21 days and will be released if they test negative for the virus.

Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths earlier in the year, but was declared Ebola-free in August.

The current outbreak, which is the DRC’s 17th, has spread rapidly since it was officially declared on May 15.

The outbreak has claimed more than 4,000 lives, according to figures released by the government on Friday, and confirmed cases have ⁠⁠reached 8,300 across seven provinces, making it the worst Ebola epidemic in the country’s history .

The World Health Organization has warned that the epidemic is “ far from over ” and on track to surpass the regional 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

At the same time, the United Nations organisation has advised against imposing travel and trade restrictions on Kenya, DRC and Uganda following the Ebola-related death in Kenya.

刚果民主共和国历史上最严重的疫情已造成 4000 多人死亡，确诊病例超过 8300 例。

肯尼亚卫生部长阿登·杜阿莱周二表示，一名感染埃博拉病毒的男子从刚果民主共和国前往乌干达和肯尼亚，最终在首都内罗毕去世。[西蒙·迈纳/法新社]

肯尼亚确诊首例埃博拉病例，死者为一名从刚果民主共和国（DRC）返回的肯尼亚公民，他在内罗毕去世。

肯尼亚卫生部长阿登·杜阿莱周二在新闻发布会上表示，这名患者在刚果民主共和国生活了七年，在从刚果民主共和国乘车前往乌干达首都坎帕拉之前，已经病了一个月左右，然后于周六乘飞机前往内罗毕。

刚果民主共和国埃博拉病例超过8000例，该国努力控制疫情（列表1/3）

列表 2/3：哀悼者埋葬因捍卫埃博拉应对措施而遇害的刚果民主共和国官员

刚果民主共和国开始为一线医护人员进行埃博拉疫苗接种试验（共3条，此为第3条）

为阻止病毒在当地传播，肯尼亚总统威廉·鲁托表示，至少有8名受害者家属和21名医护人员已被隔离，并下令加强应对措施以遏制病毒在该国的传播。

此前，卫生部长杜阿莱表示，已确定28名密切接触者，包括患者的家人和照顾过该患者的医护人员。另有23名乘客和4名机组人员与该患者乘坐同一航班从乌干达返回，目前正在追踪中。

肯尼亚卫生部总干事帕特里克·阿莫斯表示，密切接触者将被隔离21天，如果病毒检测结果呈阴性，将被解除隔离。

乌干达今年早些时候报告了 20 例埃博拉病例和 2 例死亡，但在 8 月份宣布该国已无埃博拉病例。

此次疫情是刚果民主共和国的第 17 次疫情，自 5 月 15 日正式宣布以来迅速蔓延。

根据政府周五公布的数据，此次疫情已造成 4000 多人死亡，七个省份确诊病例达 8300 例，成为该国历史上最严重的埃博拉疫情。

世界卫生组织警告称，疫情“远未结束”，并且有可能超过 2014-2016 年西非埃博拉疫情的规模，那次疫情造成超过 11000 人死亡，主要集中在几内亚、利比里亚和塞拉利昂。

与此同时，在肯尼亚发生与埃博拉病毒相关的死亡事件后，联合国建议不要对肯尼亚、刚果民主共和国和乌干达实施旅行和贸易限制。