57 contacts, 10 in quarantine
Kenyan health authorities are tracing 57 people who had contact with the country's first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola. Ten contacts have been placed in quarantine at the National Police Service Hospital in Nairobi, and teams are still working to reach the rest.
The patient travelled by land from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Uganda, then flew to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Oct. 3. Kenya confirmed the case on Oct. 6. No new cases have been reported since.
No approved vaccine for this strain
Bundibugyo virus spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated materials. There are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for this strain, although candidate products are being evaluated in clinical trials.
The World Health Organization says contact tracing and quarantine remain the main tools for stopping transmission. The agency delivered essential medical supplies to Kenya this week to support the response.
Preparedness built since May
Kenya has been on high alert since May, when outbreaks were declared in Congo and Uganda. Since then the country has screened more than 652,000 travellers, tested 267 suspected samples and trained about 5,000 health workers on Ebola prevention and management.
Health officials say the risk to the general public remains low while the contact list is cleared. The US Embassy in Nairobi issued a health alert advising travellers to monitor their health for 21 days after visiting an outbreak area, and to check medical evacuation options before travel.