A suspected Ebola case that became Kenya’s first confirmed infection travelled through the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda before arriving in Nairobi, where the patient later died, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has disclosed.
The Director-General of Africa CDC, Dr Jean Kaseya, who made the disclosure at a virtual press briefing on continental Ebola preparedness and response, said the development underscored the urgent need for stronger cross-border surveillance, information-sharing and preparedness across Africa.
Kaseya said the patient had moved through several locations in the DRC before crossing into Uganda on October 1 through the Kasindi border. From Uganda, the patient travelled to Kampala and Entebbe before departing Entebbe Airport on October 3.
The patient arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, at about 1:10 p.m. on October 3 aboard JumboJet flight 8523 and was taken directly to Nairobi Hospital by a family member.
According to Kaseya, the patient presented with fever, sore throat, muscle pain and bleeding from injection sites, with bleeding later reported around the jaw.
Healthcare workers became suspicious of Ebola because of the symptoms and the patient’s travel history. A sample was collected and sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), where it tested positive on October 5.
The patient died at about 11:30 p.m. the same day, while a safe and dignified burial was conducted on October 6.
Kaseya said the DRC, Uganda and Kenya were working together to reconstruct the patient’s movements and identify people who may have been exposed.
He stressed, however, that Kenya was not yet experiencing an Ebola outbreak, describing the situation as an imported case.
“It becomes an outbreak when we start seeing local transmission,” he said.
Following confirmation of the case, Kenya activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and national Ebola response plan, while a national task force led by the Ministry of Health began contact identification and follow-up.
Kaseya said Kenya had invested in Ebola preparedness for more than three months following the outbreak in the DRC, with Africa CDC supporting simulation exercises as well as biosafety and biosecurity training.
He said those investments had enabled the country to detect and respond rapidly to the imported case.
Meanwhile, the Ebola outbreak in the DRC has continued to expand, with more than 8,700 cases reported, including over 4,200 confirmed cases and more than 4,200 deaths.
Kaseya described it as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded and the largest Ebola outbreak in the DRC, stating that 266 healthcare workers had been infected, with 50 deaths recorded among them.
The outbreak, which began in mid-May with eight cases and four deaths across three health zones, has now spread to 64 health zones in seven provinces.
Kaseya said recent declines in reported cases should be interpreted cautiously because insecurity and community resistance had affected response operations and data collection.
He called for secure humanitarian corridors and ceasefires in affected areas to enable Africa CDC, the World Health Organisation and other partners to intensify response activities.
He also disclosed that about 70 per cent of deaths reported in the latest week occurred in communities rather than health facilities, stressing the need for stronger community engagement, awareness and active case-finding.
Kaseya said contact follow-up was being reported at about 82 per cent, but warned that the figure might not accurately reflect the situation because of uncertainties around the number of contacts being identified.
He said the number of contacts per Ebola case had risen from fewer than 10 at the beginning of the outbreak to about 24 currently, while effective contact tracing remained around 40 per cent, far below the 95 per cent target.
On vaccines and treatment, Kaseya said 654 volunteers had been recruited for a therapeutic trial involving monoclonal antibody treatment for severe Ebola cases.
He added that 437 people had been recruited for an interim analysis of obelisvir as post-exposure prophylaxis among contacts.
About 70,000 doses of Ervebo had been allocated to the DRC, while more than 7,700 healthcare and frontline workers had been vaccinated under the approved protocol.
Kaseya said vaccine and therapeutic trials involving ChAdOx and Moderna were also advancing in Uganda and other countries.
He said funding pledges following the G20 meeting had reached about $2.9 billion to support the DRC response and preparedness in neighbouring countries, adding that some bilateral funding could support Kenya’s response.
Kaseya further urged travellers to disclose symptoms and possible exposure to Ebola at points of entry, warning against using antipyretic drugs to suppress fever before travelling.
He said early presentation for treatment was associated with better outcomes, while delays could worsen the chances of survival.
The Africa CDC chief also commended Kenya for rapidly diagnosing and publicly declaring the case, saying transparency was essential to protecting neighbouring countries.
He urged the public to rely on official information and reject conspiracy theories surrounding the declaration of the case.
Kaseya said the patient’s movement across three countries demonstrated why African countries must strengthen surveillance, screening and information-sharing at borders to prevent imported infections from becoming sustained local transmission.
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