Kenya has placed 108 people under quarantine following confirmation of its first imported case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola on October 6, 2026.
In a statement, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said all 122 contacts linked to the deceased patient have been identified and verified even as efforts to trace the remaining contacts continue.
“All 122 contacts of the case have been listed and verified. 108 (88.5%) are in quarantine and being monitored daily and none have developed any symptoms thus far,” said Duale.
The patient, a Kenyan who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through Uganda, died on October 5 and was buried the following day in accordance with public health protocols.
Duale said 293 samples collected from 289 alerts had been tested, with only the deceased patient testing positive.
The Ministry of Health has screened 667,675 travellers at 26 points of entry, including 2,345 in the past 24 hours, as surveillance continues across the country.
Five designated laboratories, including two mobile facilities at the Lwakhaha and Busia border points, are testing samples, with confirmed results available within six to 12 hours.
The government has also made 241 isolation beds available in five hospitals in Nairobi, Eldoret and Mombasa, including up to 50 intensive care beds at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
A total of 4,917 health workers have been trained in Ebola management, while 343 trained responders remain on standby to support the response.
The Ministry says the National Taskforce, the National Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and the National Incident Management System are coordinating containment efforts, with rapid response teams on 24-hour standby.
Duale urged Kenyans to remain vigilant, follow official health guidance and avoid spreading rumours that could cause unnecessary panic.
“Ebola is not spread through the air; it spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with, or has died from, the disease,” he stated.
