Ebola patient travels by commercial flight, dies shortly after landing

Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola case after a man infected with the virus travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda and boarded a commercial flight to Nairobi, where he later died.

The Kenyan citizen had lived in Congo for seven years and became ill before travelling by road to Kampala and flying to Nairobi, according to Reuters.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the case involved the Bundibugyo strain and marked Kenya’s first reported Ebola fatality.

The patient reportedly passed health screening on arrival but was later hospitalised after developing symptoms including fever and internal bleeding. He was immediately isolated and died the following day.

Kenyan authorities have identified 28 close contacts and are tracing passengers and crew who were aboard the flight.

2The case comes amid a major Ebola outbreak in Congo, where more than 8,000 cases and 4,000 deaths have been reported. Kenya had previously strengthened border screening, laboratory capacity and emergency response measures because of the regional outbreak.