Kenya confirms first Ebola case after traveler from Congo dies

Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case Tuesday after a Kenyan citizen who had traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo died in Nairobi.

Health Minister Aden Duale said the patient had been ill for about a month before traveling by road from Congo to Kampala, Uganda's capital. He then flew to Nairobi on Saturday, Duale told a news conference.

Duale said health authorities had identified 28 contacts in Kenya, including relatives and healthcare workers. They were also trying to trace another 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the patient's Jambojet flight.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, including those who have died. It can cause fever, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as internal and external bleeding in severe cases.

The patient was due to be buried later Tuesday under protocols intended to prevent further spread of the virus, Duale said.

Kenya's Health Ministry said Saturday that three health workers had tested positive for Ebola after caring for the country's first confirmed patient.

A further person linked to the first Ebola case tested positive while in quarantine. That additional infection brought the total number of infections in Kenya to seven.

The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo virus. There is no approved vaccine or treatment for that virus.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, including blood and vomit. Contact with contaminated materials and surfaces, including bedding and clothing, can also spread the disease.

The ministry said about 130 contacts of the first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan man, had been identified. Of those contacts, 128 were in quarantine and two were still being traced.

Three Kenyan health workers test positive for Ebola

Community discussion