Kenya confirms second Ebola case, a relative of first patient

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s Health Ministry confirmed the country’s second Ebola case Wednesday, saying a relative of the man who died two days after arriving from Congo had tested positive while in quarantine.

The ministry said the 39-year-old man had been identified as a close relative of Kenya’s first Ebola case and developed symptoms Tuesday.

The first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan, had been living in Congo, where he fell ill and was treated at two health facilities. He traveled through three Ebola-affected provinces before leaving the country and arriving in neighboring Uganda on Oct. 1. He flew to Kenya, where a relative picked him up at the airport and drove him to a hospital. He began receiving treatment and tested positive for Ebola on Oct. 5. He died that day.

Health officials identified about 128 contacts linked to the first case, and placed 108 of them in quarantine. Five of the contacts are outside Kenya, and authorities in those countries have been notified, according to Kenya’s Ministry of Health.

The second patient was among those quarantined. The health ministry said early detection of the infection “improves his chances of recovery.”

The ministry said the two cases were linked and there was “no evidence of spread in the community”.

Kenya has tightened screening at border crossings and airports since detecting its first Ebola case and urged the public to take precautions and report suspected infections through an emergency hotline.

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AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Evelyne Musambi, The Associated Press