Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola infection after a citizen who had returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) died in Nairobi.
According to Kenyan Health Minister Aden Duale, the patient had lived in the DRC for seven years and fell ill about a month before traveling overland from the DRC to Uganda's capital, Kampala, then flying to Nairobi on Saturday.
Duale said 28 close contacts, including family members and health workers who cared for the patient, have been identified. Another 23 passengers who were on the same flight from Uganda are also being traced.
Patrick Amoth, director general of Kenya's Ministry of Health, said these individuals will be quarantined for 21 days and will be released if they test negative for the virus.
Earlier this year, Uganda reported 20 infections and two deaths, but was declared Ebola-free in August.
The current outbreak, the 17th in the DRC, has spread rapidly since it was officially declared on May 15.
According to government figures released on Friday, the outbreak has claimed more than 4,000 lives and confirmed cases have reached 8,300 across seven provinces, making it the worst Ebola epidemic in the country's history.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the epidemic is "far from over" and risks surpassing the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
