Kenya reports second Ebola death
A 65‑year‑old woman has died of Ebola in Nairobi, the second death in Kenya.
24 Oct 2026 0 reads Compiled with AI
The second death was a 65‑year‑old woman who was a close relative of the man who died earlier this month. She began showing symptoms 10 days ago while in quarantine and began receiving supportive care at an infectious disease unit in Nairobi. She died early this evening. Health officials said they did everything possible to save her, notified her family, and will arrange a safe and dignified burial in consultation with relatives. Seven people remain in treatment for Ebola in Kenya.
First case details
Kenya’s first case was announced on 6 October. The patient was a 40‑year‑old man living in Congo who had travelled via Uganda and arrived in Kenya on 3 October. He tested positive on 5 October and died on the same day. Of the 135 contacts identified, 118 were placed in quarantine and eight tested positive, including four health workers and four close family members. The remaining seven cases are all within one cluster and there is no evidence of community spread.
Genomic tests show that the Ebola virus in Kenya’s patient zero resembles the virus found in Nigeria’s first case, which involved the wife of a staff member at Switzerland’s embassy in Abuja. She had returned from Uganda on 3 October. Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said the viruses appear related and that the Nigerian case is highly similar to the Kenyan one. Both patients had travelled from Uganda on the same day.
The outbreak flared in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May and has since spread to Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria. The deadly Bundibugyo species has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. WHO figures as of 20 October show more than 9,700 confirmed cases and 4,690 deaths.