The Ministry of Health on Tuesday, October 14 confirmed a second case of Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus Disease) in Kenya.
The Ministry said that the patient, a 39-year-old man, is a close family member of the first case and was already in quarantine, under daily monitoring, when he fell ill on 13th October 2026.
Kenya has now recorded two confirmed cases and one death.
From quarantine to care
“As soon as he developed fever, fatigue and joint pains, the quarantine team isolated him and took a specimen,” the Ministry said in a statement. “It tested positive at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the KEMRI-CDC laboratory, with matching results.”
Director General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth said that the patient is now in a designated treatment centre, where trained teams are giving him supportive care.
“Because he was already in quarantine, his illness was detected early,” Dr. Amoth noted. “Early supportive care improves his chances of recovery, and isolating him at the first symptom limits the chance of passing the virus to others. This is the response working as designed.”
The Ministry further pledged to share updates on his progress, once again insisting that contact tracing and monitoring are working.
“Both cases are linked, and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community.”
So far, the Ministry has listed 128 contacts of the first case and, as at 13th October, had traced 113. Of these, 108 are in quarantine in Kenya, with daily clinical and temperature checks for 21 days from their last possible exposure. The other five are outside Kenya, and health authorities in those countries have been informed as required under the International Health Regulations (2005).
The Ministry said that tracing of the remaining 15 continues, with teams also assessing everyone who has been in contact with the second case since his symptoms began, including quarantine staff and health workers.
Next steps…
According to the Ministry, any contact who develops a symptom will be isolated and tested immediately. Infection prevention and control has been reinforced at all quarantine and treatment sites, and health workers have the protective equipment they need.
The Ministry is now appealing to Kenyans to remain calm but remain vigilant.
“Ebola is not spread through the air; it spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with, or has died from, the disease.
“Anyone with fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pains, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding should seek care promptly at the nearest health facility. Please respect the privacy of the affected family, rely only on official Ministry of Health updates, and call the toll-free line 719 for information.”
