Kenyan authorities have confirmed the country’s first-ever death from the Ebola virus, raising fears across the capital Nairobi. Health Minister Aden Duale announced on Tuesday that a 40-year-old Kenyan businessman died from the virus after seeking treatment in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to Duale, the infected man had traveled to the DRC, where he became ill a month earlier. He crossed the border to Uganda’s capital, Kampala, and then flew to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, on October 3. He was treated in Nairobi, where he died on Monday.
Officials said there are 28 people who had contact with the deceased, including family members and caregivers, however, no one has tested positive for the virus. The news sparked reactions of concern among some Nairobi residents, as well as questions about Kenya’s readiness to handle the situation.
“I’m scared because you see that person who apparently came and died, we don’t know how many people he had gotten in contact with,” said Crisps Kinyua, founder and director of the Institute for Food Justice & Development. “Because of our level of preparedness, we’re not sure how the situation will go,” he added.
Bodyguard Edwin Orwa was also surprised to hear the news. “Ebola is something we’ve heard about since our childhood, that it kills people a lot, so I am so shocked,” he said.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Aden Duale called on his countrymen to remain calm and vigilant. “Kenya has put up strict surveillance measures to deal with the situation,” he said. Up to this point, Kenya had never reported a single case of Ebola.
Meanwhile, as Kenya deals with its first ever Ebola case, the DRC continues to battle its latest outbreak of the virus. According to WHO, there have been more than 8,000 cases of Ebola and 4,082 deaths across the DRC since the start of May.
The strain of the Ebola virus is known as Bundibugyo, which has no vaccine or antidote. The outbreak has caused more than 15,000 deaths in Africa in the last five decades.
