Kenya records second Ebola case as Ministry confirms family link and early isolation
A 39-year-old man already under quarantine has tested positive for Bundibugyo Virus Disease, bringing Kenya’s confirmed cases to two and one death, with officials insisting there is no evidence of community spread.
The Ministry of Health on Tuesday confirmed Kenya’s second case of Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus Disease).
The patient, a 39-year-old man, is a close family member of the first confirmed case. He was already in quarantine and under daily monitoring when he developed symptoms on 13 October 2026.
Kenya has now recorded two confirmed cases and one death.
“As soon as he developed fever, fatigue and joint pains, the quarantine team isolated him and took a specimen,” the Ministry said in a statement. “It tested positive at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the KEMRI-CDC laboratory, with matching results.”
Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth said the patient is receiving supportive care at a designated treatment centre.
“Because he was already in quarantine, his illness was detected early,” Dr Amoth noted. “Early supportive care improves his chances of recovery, and isolating him at the first symptom limits the chance of passing the virus to others. This is the response working as designed.”
The Ministry said both cases are linked and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community. It pledged to share updates on the second patient’s progress and emphasised that contact tracing and monitoring remain on course.
As of 13 October, health teams had listed 128 contacts of the first case and traced 113 of them. Of these, 108 are in quarantine in Kenya and are receiving daily clinical and temperature checks for 21 days from their last possible exposure. The remaining five contacts are outside Kenya; health authorities in those countries have been informed under the International Health Regulations (2005).
Tracing of the outstanding 15 contacts continues. Teams are also assessing everyone who has been in contact with the second case since his symptoms began, including quarantine staff and health workers.
Any contact who develops symptoms will be isolated and tested immediately. Infection prevention and control measures have been reinforced at all quarantine and treatment sites, and health workers have the protective equipment they need.
The Ministry appealed to Kenyans to remain calm but vigilant.
“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,” the statement said.
“Anyone with fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pains, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding should seek care promptly at the nearest health facility. Please respect the privacy of the affected family, rely only on official Ministry of Health updates, and call the toll-free line 719 for information.”
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