The Kenya Medical Association (KMA) has urged Kenyans and health workers to remain vigilant following the confirmation of the country’s first imported case of Ebola Virus Disease, caused by the Bundibugyo strain.
In a statement dated October 6, 2026, KMA said the patient had since died, while commending health workers and laboratories for swiftly identifying the case. The association stressed the importance of early detection, contact tracing, quarantine and humane isolation.
KMA has advised anyone experiencing fever, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, and who has travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the past 21 days, to seek medical attention.
The warning also applies to passengers who travelled on Jambo Jet flight 8523, which arrived in Nairobi on October 3, as well as anyone who has had contact with a suspected Ebola case.
Those affected have been advised to call the Ministry of Health toll-free line **719 or *719#** before visiting a health facility where possible, allowing medical teams to prepare for their safe arrival.
The doctors' association has also called on people placed under quarantine to comply fully with the orders, while urging the Ministry of Health, county governments and health facilities to provide those in quarantine and their families with support and daily medical monitoring.
Health workers have been advised to screen patients for travel history, immediately isolate suspected cases and use Ebola-level personal protective equipment when managing suspected infections.
KMA further urged healthcare workers to immediately report any unprotected exposure without waiting for laboratory results.
The association said the Bundibugyo strain has historically been less deadly than the Zaire strain, noting that 18 of 20 confirmed patients in Uganda survived this year after receiving early care.
However, KMA said there is currently no approved vaccine or specific drug for the strain and urged people to seek medical attention as soon as symptoms appear.
KMA also clarified that Ebola does not spread through the air or casual contact, but through blood and bodily fluids of an infected person.
The association has called on the government to ensure adequate protective equipment is available in all health facilities, isolation units remain ready and surveillance at points of entry is strengthened.
The Ministry of Health public helpline is 719 or 719#.
