Kenya's Health Ministry said on Friday that a 65-year-old woman had died of Ebola, the country's second death from the disease in an outbreak it is handling for the first time.1,2,3,4
The woman was a close family member of the first victim, a man who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the ministry said. She developed symptoms while under quarantine, on 13 October according to the ministry, and died after being placed in quarantine. Seven other Ebola patients are receiving treatment at two isolation facilities, the ministry said, and it described all the cases as "one cluster, with no evidence of community spread."1,3,4
The first death was on 5 October. That man fell ill in September and was treated in several hospitals in the DRC before arriving in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where he died a few days later. DW reported that he had travelled to Kenya via Uganda, arriving on 3 October, and was identified as a 40-year-old Kenyan man living in Congo. Of some 135 people identified as his contacts, 118 were placed in quarantine, and eight of them later tested positive, DW reported, including four health workers and four close family members.1,3,4
The woman began receiving supportive care at an infectious disease unit in Nairobi after her symptoms appeared, DW reported. The ministry said, "Sadly, she succumbed to the disease early this evening." It added that "Medical personnel did everything possible to save her life," that it had notified her family, and that it would arrange a safe and dignified burial in consultation with relatives.3,4
Those still being treated include three other relatives of the first victim, three health workers and a hospital cleaner, the BBC reported. The disease, which is caused by a virus, can lead to organ failure as it progresses, and it spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit, according to the BBC's background on the disease.1
The outbreak is far larger in the DRC. The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in May, and Al Jazeera reported more than 9,000 cases and more than 4,600 deaths there. The BBC put the number of cases in the DRC at more than 9,500 and said more than 4,000 people have died across Africa since the virus was confirmed in the DRC in May, making it the second most deadly outbreak of the disease. The two outlets' figures differ, and the BBC's count of deaths covers Africa as a whole.1,4
The current outbreak has now been reported in four countries across eastern, central and western Africa, according to Al Jazeera, which said it gives the outbreak the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date. On Tuesday, Nigeria became the fourth African country to report a case. Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said on Friday that an analysis showed the Nigerian case was closely related to the virus detected in the Kenyan index case. Pate said there was no evidence so far that the Kenyan patient had travelled to Nigeria, but that further testing was under way.1,4
Kenya has introduced enhanced screening for travellers arriving from the DRC and nine other countries it considers high risk: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Travellers from those countries must complete a digital surveillance form before boarding and present a QR code to port health officials on arrival. Kenya has also ordered enhanced public health screening of aircraft arriving from those countries, the BBC reported. Uganda's health ministry announced on Friday that people who had travelled to the DRC would no longer be able to transit through Uganda as part of its prevention measures.1
The BBC reported that the United States has warned its citizens against travelling to Kenya, and that Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia are also on alert. The International Rescue Committee, which has been working with both governments to contain the spread, said Kenya faces a steady risk of new cases arriving across borders, the BBC reported.1
Health officials in Nigeria have been investigating whether that country's first case crossed paths with Kenya's first patient, the BBC reported. Both are believed to have travelled through Uganda's Entebbe airport earlier this month, the BBC said. Nigeria's health minister said the country's only confirmed case appeared to be genetically related to a strain identified earlier in Kenya.1,4
The Kenyan government has been sharing public messages about Ebola, urging people to report suspected cases promptly and to seek care at a hospital, the BBC reported.1
