Congo's Ebola outbreak reaches Kenya in one traveler, who died; the World Health Organization warns of a rising risk of spread

The man fell ill about a month ago and was treated at several hospitals in Congo, the ministry says. He went by road to Kampala, Uganda, then flew Jambojet flight 8523 to Nairobi, landing Saturday, Oct. 3. He was isolated at Nairobi Hospital. Two Kenyan laboratories confirmed the infection, and he died. The World Health Organization says he was probably not sick with Ebola at first. More likely, it says, he caught it in a clinic or in the community while seeking care for something else.

On Thursday, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told diplomats in Nairobi that 57 contacts, including passengers, crew and others linked to the plane, had been found and were being monitored. He said one imported case does not on its own mean the virus is spreading in Kenya. The government has set aside 241 beds for isolation, treatment and quarantine. Kenya and Uganda have both begun tracing contacts, the World Health Organization says. A Kenyan newspaper, The Independent, later quoted Duale saying 66 contacts were in quarantine and that the number was rising.

This outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, one kind of Ebola. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for it. It spreads through close contact with the blood or body fluids of sick people, and people are not contagious before symptoms start. Symptoms can take 2 to 21 days to appear. About 48 percent of people with confirmed cases in this outbreak have died.

In Congo, cases have been confirmed in 64 health zones across seven provinces, most of them in Ituri and North Kivu. New cases rose slightly over the past three weeks, to 487 a week, while deaths held near 224 a week. Most recent deaths happened in homes and communities rather than treatment centers, which the organization says shows people are reaching care late. Health teams are following about 80 percent of people known to be exposed, short of their 85 percent goal.

The World Health Organization declared the epidemic in Congo and Uganda an international health emergency on May 17, under the International Health Regulations

This is The File's first story on this outbreak. The emergency was declared in May, before The File had a Safety page, and until today the site had mentioned it only in a Sept. 23 calendar entry about U.S. aid.