Kenya confirms first imported Ebola case and begins quarantines

The head of the World Health Organization, or WHO, on Tuesday confirmed that Kenya’s government had reported an imported case of Ebola caused by Bundibugyo virus. The case involved a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the DRC, according to the organization.

WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced Tuesday in a social media post that the patient became ill in the DRC and received treatment in several hospitals. He then travelled from the DRC to Nairobi, Kenya, via Kampala, Uganda. He died in Nairobi on Monday, according to Ghebreyesus. The WHO vowed to provide support for efforts by the governments of Kenya, the DRC, and Uganda to conduct contact tracing, surveillance, and screening to rapidly identify potential cases and prevent the further spread of the virus.

Kenya's cabinet secretary for health announced Tuesday that 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers, had been identified and quarantined. Officials were also seeking to quarantine 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight as the individual.

What are the numbers in the DRC? The DRC reported a total of 8,603 confirmed cases, including 4,148 related deaths, from data up until Oct. 4, according to the European Centre for Disease Control.

Despite these developments, the WHO advised against any restriction of travel to, or trade with, the affected countries based on the currently available information.