Kenya confirms second Bundibugyo Ebola case; WHO reports no lasting decline in DR Congo

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it continues to support Kenya after a second person tested positive for the Bundibugyo virus. The WHO Representative in Kenya, Dr. Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, spoke to UN News in Nairobi a day after Kenya's Ministry of Health confirmed the new case.

The patient is a 39-year-old man. He is a relative of Kenya's first case, who died in hospital on 5 October. He was among the contacts placed in quarantine and developed symptoms on 13 October, according to the WHO.

Kenya's first patient was a local man who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He arrived in Nairobi via Uganda on 3 October and died two days later. Dr. Kimambo said health authorities “cast the net very wide” to find his contacts. She said they numbered more than 40 and included airline passengers and crew, airport workers, health personnel and family members. Most are in quarantine. A few low-risk contacts have quarantined themselves and are being monitored. Efforts continue to reach six passengers who are hard to locate because they have foreign phone numbers.

The WHO says it has donated some $70,000 worth of supplies to Kenya since the first case was identified. It says more than 4,000 health workers have been trained, including for screening at ports of entry. It has also brought in a senior incident manager who took part in the Ebola response in Uganda. Dr. Kimambo said there is no need for travel restrictions or border closures, but that screening of travellers matters. She also said: “we do not have community spread.” The sources do not say where the second patient is being treated or whether the six passengers have been found.

In the DRC, the outbreak was declared in May. UN News, citing the WHO, reports that transmission remains high and fluctuating five months on, and that no lasting downward trend is emerging. The same report gives 9 144 confirmed cases and 4 410 deaths, and says this is the deadliest outbreak recorded in the country. It has reached seven provinces and 65 health zones in the east. The WHO's latest situation report, as described by UN News, shows declines and rebounds at different speeds in different areas.

Ituri remains the main focus, with more than 70 percent of cumulative confirmed cases, though its share of the total is falling. The WHO reports persistent or renewed transmission elsewhere, notably in North Kivu, and significant transmission in Haut-Uélé. In North Kivu, beds for suspected cases are almost full and ambulance capacity is limited. The WHO cites delays in detecting cases, following contacts and caring for the sick, along with population movement and insecurity.

The WHO says vaccination with Ervebo and related research have grown, but that the rollout was affected by intermittent vaccine availability. In Bas-Uélé, stocks are exhausted.

The WHO says ending the outbreak requires breaking the remaining chains of transmission. That means isolating cases quickly, following at least 95 percent of contacts and ensuring safe burials. It warns that without this, local progress could be lost.