Kenya’s First Ebola Patient Dies After Being Admitted to Nairobi Hospital

Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola patient has died after being admitted and isolated at Nairobi Hospital, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has confirmed.

The patient died at about 11:30pm on Monday while receiving supportive treatment, hours after doctors confirmed that he had contracted the Ebola Bundibugyo virus.

Patient Was Isolated After Arriving at JKIA

Duale said the patient underwent routine public health screening after arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Saturday.

He was then taken directly to Nairobi Hospital by a relative and a friend before being isolated in the Accident and Emergency section.

The patient was later transferred to the hospital’s East Wing isolation facility, which had previously been used during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Doctors reportedly observed several symptoms, including fever, chills, severe fatigue, muscle pain, painful swallowing and a sore throat.

Bleeding under the skin at an injection site was also reported, prompting doctors to consider a viral haemorrhagic fever and collect samples for testing.

Burial to Follow Ebola Safety Measures

The samples tested positive for Ebola after being examined at Kenya’s National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

Despite receiving supportive treatment, the patient died on Monday night, with the government now preparing for a safe and dignified burial.

Health authorities have identified 28 contacts linked to the patient, while passengers and crew members who travelled on the same flight are also being traced.

The government has urged the public to remain calm as surveillance and contact-tracing measures are intensified following Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola case.