Kenya Confirms Third Ebola Case Linked to First Patient's Death
Theo Al Jazeera English
Kenya has confirmed a third case of Bundibugyo virus, an Ebola strain, in a 65-year-old woman who is a close relative of the first two patients. Officials say there is no evidence of community spread, but the outbreak in the DRC remains the world's second-largest, with more than 9,000 cases and 4,300 deaths.
Kenya has recorded a third case of Bundibugyo virus — an Ebola strain that has killed thousands in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — just 10 days after the country announced its first infection and death in Nairobi.
In a statement Friday, Kenya's Health Ministry said the latest patient is a 65-year-old woman identified as a "direct contact and close relative of the first and second cases." She has been in isolation since October 6.
The ministry said that after she developed symptoms, she was isolated and samples were taken, which later tested positive for Ebola.
"When she developed fever, sore throat and fatigue, she was isolated and sampled. She tested positive for Ebola," the Health Ministry said. "The patient was diagnosed early and is currently receiving supportive care, which improves her chances of recovery."
The cases in Kenya are linked to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC — the second-largest outbreak ever recorded globally, with more than 9,000 infections and over 4,300 deaths since it was officially declared in May.
Kenya's first case emerged last week, after a Kenyan man fell ill in the DRC about a month earlier, then traveled by road to Uganda, flew to Nairobi on October 3 and was taken to hospital by a relative. He died on October 5.
In a statement on X, Kenya's Health Ministry said there was no community transmission and the risk to the public remained low. Of 130 people listed as close contacts, 127 have been traced and are in isolation.
Efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak are complicated by the fact that there is no licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain. Research is under way to develop one or more effective vaccines against it, with some already in early-stage human trials.
Calls for transparency on Ebola response funding
The new case in Kenya was announced as Africa's leading public health agency and Congolese health officials called for greater transparency in how Ebola response funds are used.
The Africa CDC said financial information provided by aid organizations showed more than $700 million in funding was unaccounted for.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa CDC, told Reuters that international donors had disbursed about $962 million to organizations carrying out the Ebola response in the DRC, rather than to the Congolese government.
According to Kaseya, those organizations reported receiving $228 million, of which $127 million had been spent and about $100 million remained available. He said, however, that it was too early to speak of corruption.
In a post on X, Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba warned aid groups that they must provide details of their funding to his ministry or risk being barred from operating in the DRC and blacklisted across Africa.
Meanwhile, in the DRC, two health officials told Reuters on Thursday that Ebola cases had been detected in a new province bordering the Central African Republic. Two cases were confirmed in North Ubangi, making it the eighth Congolese province affected by the Bundibugyo outbreak. Congolese officials have not officially announced that the outbreak has spread to North Ubangi.
