Kenyan Health Ministry Tracks 28 Contacts After First Ebola Fatality

Kenya’s health authorities are closely monitoring 28 people who had exposure to the country’s first Ebola victim, a Kenyan who returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday and died on Monday night. The Ministry of Health disclosed that the patient underwent standard public‑health screening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport before being admitted for care. The identified contacts consist of family members, health‑care personnel and others who were in the same ward. Each contact is now under a 21‑day observation period with daily temperature checks and symptom assessments. The minister reiterated that the nation has the necessary isolation facilities, protective gear and diagnostic capacity to contain any secondary cases. The DRC, currently battling its largest Ebola outbreak with over 8,000 reported infections and more than 4,000 deaths, remains the source of the virus that reached Kenya. Neighboring Uganda, which recorded 20 cases and two deaths earlier, was declared Ebola‑free by the World Health Organization in August.