Kenya Confirms Second Ebola Death, Because One Was Apparently Not Enough

Kenya has recorded its second death from Ebola as it handles its first ever outbreak of the disease, the health ministry announced, because apparently the universe felt one unprecedented public health crisis was insufficiently dramatic.

A 65-year-old woman - a close family member of the first victim, a man who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo - died after being placed in quarantine. Seven other Ebola patients were receiving treatment at two isolation facilities, the ministry added, in what officials are carefully framing as a contained situation rather than a nationwide panic.

All the cases were within "one cluster, with no evidence of community spread," the ministry said, a sentence clearly crafted by someone who knows exactly how quickly "no evidence of community spread" can age.

For context, more than 4,000 people have died in Africa since Ebola was confirmed in DR Congo in May, making it the second most deadly outbreak of the disease. Kenya's latest victim was a "direct contact and close family member of the first case (deceased) and was under quarantine when she developed symptoms" on 13 October, the health ministry said. The first death, on 5 October, was that of a man who fell ill in September and was treated in several hospitals in DR Congo before arriving in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where he died a few days later.

Those still being treated are three other relatives of the first victim, three health workers and a hospital cleaner - a reminder that Ebola does not particularly care about job titles.

The US has warned its citizens against travelling to Kenya, while neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia are also on alert, which is the international diplomatic equivalent of everyone quietly backing away from the buffet.

Ebola is a rare but deadly disease caused by a virus. As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhoea develop and it can lead to organ failure. Some, but not all, patients develop internal and external bleeding. The disease spreads from one person to another by contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.

The Bundibugyo species of Ebola is relatively rare, with no approved vaccine or treatment - though trials are under way, which is science's way of saying "we're working on it, please hold."

With more than 9,500 cases in DR Congo, Kenya faces a steady risk of new cases arriving across borders, according to the International Rescue Committee, which has been working alongside both governments to contain the spread. Kenya has introduced enhanced screening for travellers arriving from DR Congo and nine other countries it considers to be at high risk: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Travellers arriving from those countries are required to complete a digital surveillance form before boarding their flights, and to present a QR code to port health officials on arrival - because nothing says "public health emergency" like a QR code.

Kenya also ordered enhanced public health screening of aircraft arriving from those countries, as authorities seek to prevent further imported cases. Within the country, the government has been sharing public messages to create awareness about Ebola, including encouraging people to promptly report any suspected cases and seek care at a hospital. It has also focused on hygiene and safety measures, such as washing hands and avoiding close contact with sick people - advice that, frankly, should not require a government campaign.

In another development, Nigeria's health minister has said the country's single confirmed case of Ebola appears to be genetically related to a strain identified earlier in Kenya. Professor Ali Pate said there was no evidence so far that the Kenyan patient had travelled to Nigeria, but that further testing was under way. He emphasised that Nigeria had so far recorded only one confirmed case of the virus. "We are conducting additional tests. Some of the results are negative, while others are pending," Pate said, in what may be the most suspenseful sentence ever uttered by a health minister.

Health officials have been investigating whether Nigeria's first case crossed paths with Kenya's first patient. Both are believed to have travelled through Uganda's Entebbe International Airport earlier this month - a detail that will surely delight everyone who enjoys tracing airport connections.