NAIROBI — Kenyan authorities confirmed the country's first imported Ebola case from Congo on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The patient tested positive for the Ebola virus at Nairobi Hospital.

The patient died late Monday while receiving treatment at Nairobi Hospital. Health Minister Aden Duale said the patient "regrettably passed on last night at around 1130." The individual was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in Congo for the past seven years. He fell ill about a month ago and received treatment at various hospitals in Congo before traveling.

Twenty-eight contacts, including family members and health workers who cared for the patient, have been identified. Another 23 passengers who traveled on the same flight from Uganda are being traced.

Ministry director Patrick Amoth said the contacts will remain in isolation for 21 days and will be released after testing negative for the virus. Health authorities in Kenya have placed the country's border points on high alert and are monitoring for possible additional cases. Kenya had never had an outbreak of Ebola prior to this case, according to the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

Why It Matters

Kenya is the fourth country to record an Ebola case in the current outbreak, which was declared in eastern Congo in mid-May. Uganda has recorded 20 cases and France one in the current outbreak. Before Kenya reported its case, there had been no active cases outside Congo since Uganda declared its outbreak over in late August. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

The World Health Organization has warned this could surpass the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which killed over 11,000 people in West Africa. At least 8,400 cases have been recorded in the Congo outbreak, including over 4,000 deaths, according to government data. Stéphanie Hoffmann with Doctors Without Borders said in a statement, “It is like fighting a megafire. Multiple outbreaks are developing at the same time, with varying intensity and in different locations.”

Timeline

As of October 2, the World Health Organization had recorded 4,082 deaths out of 8,463 cases in the outbreak. The patient traveled by road to Kampala, Uganda, and boarded a flight to Nairobi, arriving on Saturday afternoon. The patient’s relatives took him in a private vehicle to Nairobi Hospital, where he was immediately isolated. The patient was screened at the airport, but the screening process did not detect any symptoms because he was already undergoing treatment.

As of 6 October 2026, Kenya has screened travelers entering the country, tested 267 suspected samples and trained health workers on Ebola prevention and management.

What's New

Additional reporting includes research titled "WHO concerned as one Ebola case confirmed in urban area of Democratic Republic of the Congo" in Human Rights Documents Online. He said the patient "regrettably passed on last night at around 1130". Primary source: doi.org

In the past five years, Nairobi Hospital has trained 200 healthcare workers in infection control protocols for high-consequence infectious diseases, including Ebola. The Kenya Medical Research Institute has documented a 15% increase in cross-border health surveillance activities since 2020, particularly along the Uganda and DRC borders.

He also said that so far "only one test has turned positive and is the one that we have just discussed".