First patient and the ninth case

The Kenyan Ministry of Health confirmed a ninth Ebola case on Tuesday, 20 October. The patient is a 24-year-old man and a close family member of the country's first patient, who died at a Nairobi hospital on 5 October after travelling from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda. The ministry said the man was already in quarantine when he fell ill, and that he was isolated and started on treatment as soon as his positive result came back. Eight other patients are stable and responding well to treatment, Health Director-General Patrick Amoth said.

Amoth stressed that all nine infections are linked to one group.

“All nine cases belong to one cluster, and as of today there is no evidence of transmission outside this group.”

Contacts in quarantine

Of 135 contacts identified, 134 have been traced and placed in quarantine. An earlier count reported by AGI gave 130 contacts, of whom 128 had been traced. Amoth said most contacts have stayed well through the 21-day monitoring period and could return home from 25 October. The ministry urged communities to welcome them back, saying they pose no risk of infection. It reported no infections inside quarantine facilities and said it is monitoring infection-prevention measures to protect health workers. Among the confirmed cases are four relatives of the first patient, three health workers and a hospital cleaner.

US travel warning and border concerns

The US State Department has raised its travel alert for Kenya from level 2 to level 3 and urged citizens to reconsider travel. The advisory cites health risks, crime, kidnapping, terrorism, civil unrest and road safety, and warns that protests, strikes and political or economic demonstrations can turn violent and block roads. The US embassy in Kenya said the alert was raised because of health risks. Kenya has not imposed restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings, and officials say the country remains open for business.

The doctors' union has raised concerns about 'lapses' at border points with Uganda and Tanzania and at Kenya's main airport. Dennis Miskellah, the union representative, told the BBC that border and port facilities are grossly understaffed. Kenya has introduced enhanced screening for travellers arriving from 10 countries: DR Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Regional outbreak

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been fighting an outbreak since May, and the figures differ by source. The BBC puts cases above 9,500 and deaths above 4,000, AGI reports more than 9,000 cases and 4,381 deaths, and the latest Congolese government tally cited by Notícias ao Minuto counts 9,277 confirmed cases and 4,478 deaths. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control calls it the second-largest epidemic on record, according to Al Jazeera. Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia are also on alert. Kenya is the fourth country to record a case linked to the Congo epidemic, after Uganda, France and the Netherlands. The WHO declared Uganda's outbreak over on 26 August after 20 confirmed cases, including 15 imported from the Congo, and two deaths. The Bundibugyo strain has no licensed vaccine or specific treatment, though trials are under way.

Questions about the first patient

Kenyans have asked how the first patient could spend time in the worst-affected region and then travel through two more countries before his illness was identified. Because Kenya is a regional transport hub, the risk of cross-border spread is a central concern. When the first case was announced, authorities urged people not to panic and promised heightened surveillance at airports and border crossings. So far the ministry says all nine cases trace back to a single cluster.