Kenya has confirmed a second case of Ebola (Bundibugyo virus disease), with health authorities saying the patient was identified while in quarantine, in what they describe as a sign that the country’s surveillance and response systems are working as intended.
In a statement issued on October 14, 2026, the Director General of Health, Dr Patrick Amoth, said the patient is a 39-year-old man and a close family member of the first confirmed case.
According to the Ministry of Health, the man was under quarantine and receiving daily monitoring when he developed fever, fatigue and joint pains on October 13.
Health teams isolated him, collected samples for testing and confirmed the infection through tests conducted at the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KEMRI-CDC) laboratory.
The patient has since been transferred to a designated treatment centre, where he is receiving supportive care.
The ministry said early detection and isolation were critical in limiting the risk of further transmission and improving the patient’s chances of recovery.
“Because he was already in quarantine, his illness was detected early,” the statement said, adding that isolating suspected cases at the onset of symptoms helps reduce the risk of transmission.
Kenya has so far recorded two confirmed cases and one death.
Contact tracing continues
The ministry said there was no evidence of wider community transmission, adding that the two confirmed cases were epidemiologically linked.
Health authorities had identified 128 contacts of the first case and traced 113 by October 13. Of these, 108 were in quarantine in Kenya, where they were undergoing daily clinical assessments and temperature checks for 21 days from their last possible exposure.
The remaining five contacts are outside Kenya, and authorities in the respective countries have been notified in accordance with the International Health Regulations (2005).
Contact tracing for the remaining 15 people is ongoing.
Health teams are also identifying and assessing people who may have been exposed to the second patient since he developed symptoms, including quarantine personnel and health workers.
The response is being coordinated through a single national command under the Public Health (Declaration of Formidable Epidemic Disease) Order, 2026, and the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules, 2026.
The World Health Organisation has also been notified of the outbreak.
Despite the confirmed cases, the ministry said Kenya remains open, with no restrictions imposed on travel, trade or public gatherings.
Public urged to remain vigilant
The ministry has urged the public to remain calm but vigilant, reminding Kenyans that Ebola is not transmitted through the air but through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who is sick or has died from the disease.
People experiencing symptoms such as fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding have been advised to seek medical attention promptly at the nearest health facility.
The ministry also appealed to the public to respect the privacy of the affected family and rely on official government communication for updates on the outbreak.
