EBOLA: Ruto directs enhanced emergency measures after Kenya first case

What the report says

Kenyan President William Ruto has ordered stronger emergency health measures after authorities confirmed the country’s first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease, a type of Ebola virus disease, according to The Independent Uganda citing Xinhua. The report says the patient, a Kenyan citizen, died after being isolated and treated in Nairobi, prompting the government to intensify surveillance, contact tracing, quarantine and public health response efforts.

In the statement described by the publisher, Ruto directed the National Security Council Committee to meet and review the situation. Health officials placed eight family members of the deceased under quarantine, while 21 healthcare workers who had treated the patient were also quarantined and monitored. Authorities additionally traced passengers on the same flight into Kenya and said 27 people potentially exposed had been identified and contacted.

The article says the patient had fallen ill while living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, traveled through Uganda before flying to Nairobi on Oct. 3, and tested positive for the virus at national laboratories. The patient was buried under Kenya’s safe burial protocols for viral hemorrhagic fevers. The report also notes that Kenya had already screened hundreds of thousands of travelers and trained thousands of health workers as part of preparedness efforts since outbreaks were declared in neighboring countries.

The development matters because Kenya is now listed by the World Health Organization as the fourth country to confirm a Bundibugyo virus case, and officials are seeking to prevent any wider spread through rapid monitoring and public guidance.