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Kenya reports first-ever Ebola death

AFP October 07, 2026 Less than a minute read

A health worker is dressed up in personal protective equipment (PPE) at the Evangelical Medical Center, one of the facilities at the forefront of the response to the Ebola outbreak, as agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 31, 2026. REUTERS

NAIROBI:

Kenya has reported its first-ever Ebola death, the health minister said Tuesday, after a Kenyan man who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) died after returning to the country.

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in May. The deadly disease has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.

Kenya has never previously reported a case. Neighbouring Uganda recorded 20 -- almost all people who had travelled from the DRC -- and two deaths, before being declared Ebola-free in August.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said a team was heading to Kenya to provide assistance, and its director general Jean Kaseya would also visit in the coming days.

The Kenyan citizen, who has not been named but was referred to as a 40-year-old businessman, fell ill around a month ago and had been treated in the DRC, Health Minister Aden Duale told reporters.

He travelled overland to the Ugandan capital, Kampala, and then flew to Nairobi on October 3.