Kenya records second Ebola death

Health CS Aden Duale. [File, Standard]

Kenya’s Ebola death toll is now at two after a 65-year-old woman, the country’s third confirmed case of Bundibugyo virus disease, died while receiving treatment.

The Ministry of Health said the woman, a close family member of the first patient to die, was under quarantine when she developed symptoms on October 13.

She was admitted to an infectious disease unit the same day and received supportive care before she died on Thursday evening, October 23.

“The Ministry of Health is deeply saddened to announce the passing on of a 65-year-old female patient, the third confirmed case of Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus Disease) in Kenya,” the ministry said in a statement.

The latest death brings the number of fatalities to two among nine confirmed cases.

According to the ministry, the seven surviving patients are receiving care in two isolation facilities.

“All cases remain within one cluster of known contacts, and there is no evidence of community spread,” the ministry said.

Health authorities continue to manage the outbreak and trace people who may have been exposed to the virus.