Kenya’s Ministry of Health confirmed a second case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease on 14 October 2026. The patient, a 39-year-old man and close family member of the country’s first case, developed symptoms while already under quarantine and daily monitoring.
The announcement came in a press release from the Office of the Director General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, shared on the ministry’s official X account.
The man fell ill on 13 October with fever, fatigue and joint pains, was isolated immediately, and tested positive at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the KEMRI-CDC laboratory.
He is now receiving supportive care at a designated treatment centre. Kenya has recorded two confirmed cases and one death. Both cases are linked, and authorities report no evidence of wider community spread.
Contact tracing identified 128 contacts of the first case. As of 13 October, 113 had been traced, with 108 under 21-day quarantine in Kenya for daily checks.
Five contacts are outside the country and have been notified under International Health Regulations, while tracing continues for the remaining 15.
The first case involved a Kenyan who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, traveled through Uganda, arrived in Nairobi around 3 October, and died on 5 October after hospital admission.
The ongoing DRC Bundibugyo outbreak is one of the largest recorded, with thousands of cases and over 4,000 deaths reported.
WHO has been notified and is supporting Kenya’s response with supplies and technical assistance. The ministry states Kenya remains open, with no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings.
Officials urge the public to stay calm, seek prompt care for symptoms, and rely only on official updates.
The development follows intensified border screening and surveillance after the imported case, amid concerns about regional detection gaps.
Early isolation of the second patient is presented as evidence that quarantine and monitoring protocols are functioning as designed to limit further transmission.
