Kenya reports second Ebola fatality as close relative of first patient dies

UPDATE - follow-up to Kenya announces 2nd Ebola death, close relative of first patient: Kenya has recorded its second Ebola death after a 65-year-old woman passed away in Nairobi on Friday, October 23, 2026. The victim was a close relative of the country's first patient and developed symptoms while in quarantine.

Medical Care And Burial

The woman started showing symptoms ten days prior and received supportive care at an infectious disease unit in the capital. The Health Ministry stated that medical personnel did everything possible to save her life before she died on Friday evening. Officials notified her family and announced plans to arrange a safe and dignified burial in consultation with her relatives.

Patient Status And Contacts

Seven other Ebola patients are currently receiving treatment across two isolation facilities, with no new infections reported. Authorities have tracked roughly 135 contacts linked to the first patient and placed 118 of them in quarantine. Eight people tested positive while in quarantine, which includes four health workers and four close family members. The Health Ministry noted that some contacts who finished their 21-day quarantine period without developing symptoms will be released starting Saturday, October 24.

Wider Regional Spread

Meanwhile, Nigerian authorities stated on Friday that they are still verifying how their country's first Ebola patient caught the virus. That patient tested positive after returning to Abuja from Uganda and is married to a Swiss diplomat. Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs stated the woman did not visit Congo and likely contracted the virus while travelling to Uganda. Her husband remains in isolation without showing any symptoms. Nigeria's Health Minister Muhammad Pate mentioned that the Nigerian case appears closely related to the first Kenyan case regarding the nature of the infection, and the Africa CDC confirmed both patients travelled through Uganda's Entebbe International Airport on October 3.

International Travel Restrictions

In response to the outbreak, United States health officials announced that all passengers boarding international flights to the U.S. must sign a statement confirming they have not visited Congo in the previous 21 days. The U.S. CDC stated that travellers who were in Congo during that three-week window will be blocked from boarding U.S.-bound flights, including American citizens.

Context

Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids like blood and vomit, or through contaminated items such as clothing and bedding. Congo is currently facing its deadliest outbreak with at least 4,000 deaths recorded since May.