Nairobi:Kenya has announced its first Ebola case after a Kenyan citizen, who had been residing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, succumbed to the disease shortly after arriving in Nairobi. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed the development on Tuesday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Ministry of Health reported that the case involves the Ebola Bundibugyo virus strain. The patient had lived in Congo for seven years and fell ill about a month prior to his return to Kenya. He sought treatment at multiple health facilities in Congo, traveled by road to Uganda, and then flew to Kenya on a Jambojet flight carrying 23 passengers.

Upon landing at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the patient underwent routine health screenings before proceeding through immigration. He was then taken directly to Nairobi Hospital by relatives and friends, where he was placed in isolation and later tested positive for Ebola. The patient did not survive the infection.

Health authorities have identified 28 individuals who were in contact with the patient, including family and healthcare workers, as part of efforts to prevent further transmission of the virus. The patient's travel route and interactions are central to ongoing contact-tracing operations.

Kenya had implemented enhanced disease surveillance at airports and border crossings due to the Ebola outbreak in Congo. The measures aim to improve screening processes, laboratory capabilities, and health facility preparedness.

Ebola is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. Authorities are actively monitoring those identified as contacts for symptoms as surveillance continues in the wake of this first confirmed imported case.