The Ministry of Health on Wednesday confirmed a second case of Ebola in Kenya, bringing the country’s total to two confirmed infections and one death.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the second patient is a 39-year-old man who is a close family member of the first case. He was already under mandatory quarantine and daily medical monitoring when he developed symptoms on Tuesday, October 13.
The man reported fever, fatigue and joint pains. Health teams immediately isolated him and collected samples for testing. Laboratory results from both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KEMRI-CDC) laboratory returned positive and matching results for Bundibugyo Virus Disease.
He has since been moved to a designated treatment centre where trained medical teams are providing supportive care. Officials noted that early detection improves his chances of recovery and limits the risk of further transmission.
Kenya recorded its first Ebola case earlier this month. The patient was a Kenyan citizen who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for about seven years. He fell ill while in the DRC, travelled by road through Uganda, and flew into Nairobi on October 3, 2026.
A relative picked him up at the airport and took him directly to Nairobi Hospital. He was diagnosed with Ebola (Bundibugyo virus) and died on October 5, 2026, despite receiving supportive treatment. The Ministry of Health formally confirmed the case and death on October 6.
Health authorities described it as an imported case. Contact tracing began immediately after his death.
The Ministry reported that 128 contacts linked to the first patient have been identified. As of October 13, 113 of them had been traced. Of these:
108 are in quarantine in Kenya and undergoing daily clinical assessments and temperature checks for 21 days from their last possible exposure.
Five contacts are outside the country, and health authorities in those nations have been notified under the International Health Regulations (2005).
Tracing of the remaining 15 contacts continues.
The Ministry emphasised that both confirmed cases are linked and that there is currently no evidence of spread in the wider community.
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