NAIROBI, Kenya- Eight relatives of Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola patient have been placed under quarantine as health authorities trace people who may have come into contact with him.
The family members are being monitored daily, according to a statement from State House.
The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, died after testing positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
Twenty-one healthcare workers who attended to him have also been quarantined.
Authorities have identified and contacted 27 passengers who travelled on the same flight as the patient into Kenya.
The government said contact tracing and surveillance had been intensified to prevent further transmission.
As of October 6, 267 samples had been tested across five laboratories, with only the deceased patient testing positive.
No additional cases had been detected.
Kenya has screened more than 652,000 travellers and trained nearly 5,000 healthcare workers in Ebola prevention, detection and management, the statement said.
The public is being urged to watch for symptoms including fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and unexplained bleeding.
Anyone who develops symptoms after possible exposure should avoid close contact with others and seek immediate guidance from a recognised health facility.
Background on Ebola in Kenya
Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease on October 6, 2026.
The patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an outbreak is ongoing.
As of the government’s update that day, no other samples had tested positive in Kenya.
Kenya had been preparing for possible imported cases since the regional outbreak began.
By October 6, authorities had screened more than 652,000 travellers, tested 267 samples and trained nearly 5,000 health workers.
Bundibugyo is a strain of Ebola.
It spreads mainly through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated materials.
There is currently no licensed vaccine for Bundibugyo virus disease; care focuses on supporting patients and managing symptoms.
