Kenya confirms second Ebola case linked to first death

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 18:14 · Archive

Kenya has confirmed a second Ebola case, a relative of the businessman who died from the virus last week.

Kenya has confirmed a second case of Ebola in a 39-year-old man who is a close relative of the country's first victim. The first patient, a 40-year-old businessman, died on 5 October after travelling to Kenya from the Democratic Republic of Congo via Uganda. He was diagnosed shortly after arriving in Nairobi, where a relative had taken him to hospital.

The second patient fell ill on Tuesday and was already in quarantine when he became symptomatic. Kenya's health ministry said detecting his illness early had improved his chances of recovery and limited the chance of him passing the virus to others. The incubation period for Ebola ranges from two to 21 days, meaning those exposed may not become ill for several weeks.

The ministry confirmed that both cases are linked and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community. Officials have identified 128 people who had contact with the first patient, and by Tuesday 113 of them had been found. Of these, 108 were in quarantine in Kenya, with tracing of the remaining 15 continuing.

Kenya confirms second Ebola case linked to first death — Image: The Telegraph

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How it is being reported

Kenya’s health ministry confirms second Ebola caseA relative of the first case, 39-year-old man's infection raises concerns of a cross-border spread.Al Jazeera · 14 Oct, 18:03
Second Ebola case confirmed in KenyaThe patient is related to a man who died in Nairobi last week – thought to be the country’s first-ever caseThe Telegraph · 14 Oct, 17:41
Kenya confirms second Ebola case as relative of country's first victimIt follows the death last week of a man who had arrived in Kenya after travelling from DR Congo.BBC News · 14 Oct, 17:23

In this story: Kenya · Democratic Republic of Congo · Uganda · Nairobi

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