Kenya confirms first Ebola case imported from Congo

Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case on Tuesday after a Kenyan citizen who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo died in Nairobi, Reuters reported.

Kenya is the third country to record a case linked to the ​Ebola epidemic in eastern Congo, the second largest on record. Uganda reported 20 cases and two ​deaths earlier in the year but was declared Ebola-free in August.

The Kenyan patient had been ⁠ill for about a month before travelling by road from Congo to Uganda's capital, Kampala, ​and then flying to Nairobi on Saturday, Health Minister Aden Duale told a news conference.

After arriving at ​Nairobi's international airport, he passed through health screening and was later taken by a relative to Nairobi Hospital. He was admitted with fever, chills and bleeding beneath the skin and was quickly placed in isolation, Duale said.

He ​died late on Monday.

Health ministry Director General Patrick Amoth said the patient may have passed through ​airport screening because medication had masked his symptoms.

Duale said Kenya was well-prepared to respond ‌to ⁠Ebola cases.

"We have continued to maintain, as a country, a high level of alert for Ebola since the outbreak began in May," he said.

The outbreak in Congo was declared in mid-May but may have started months earlier. It has infected more than ⁠8,000 people ​and caused more than 4,000 deaths despite efforts to contain it.

The ​outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no proven vaccine or treatment.