Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola case after a citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) died in Nairobi, prompting authorities to trace dozens of people who may have been exposed to the virus.

Health Minister Aden Duale said on Tuesday that the man arrived in Kenya on Saturday after traveling from Congo through Uganda. He developed symptoms consistent with hemorrhagic fever and was later admitted to a Nairobi hospital, where he was isolated and treated before dying on Monday.

The case is the first recorded in Kenya and comes as a major Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues to expand. Uganda, which shares a border with Congo, reported 20 cases and two deaths earlier this year before being declared Ebola-free in August.

Kenyan authorities have identified 28 contacts, including relatives and healthcare workers who treated the patient, and are tracing 23 passengers who traveled on the same flight from Uganda, officials said.

The identified contacts will remain under observation for 21 days, according to Patrick Amoth, director general of Kenya's Ministry of Health. Authorities have also placed border points on high alert and stepped up surveillance for possible additional cases.

Kenya has tested 267 samples at five laboratories since May, with the latest case being the only positive result, the health ministry said.

The Kenyan case comes as the DRC faces its largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.

The DRC had reported 8,442 confirmed cases and 4,080 deaths as of Oct. 2, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. More than 2,200 patients had recovered. Ituri province remains the epicenter, while North Kivu has also recorded a sharp increase in cases.

The outbreak, declared in May, is caused by the relatively rare Bundibugyo virus. The World Health Organization has said there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain, although clinical trials and vaccine research are under way.

WHO has assessed the risk as very high within the DRC and high for countries sharing land borders with the country, while maintaining a low global risk assessment. It has called for stronger cross-border surveillance, contact tracing and preparedness.

The outbreak has become increasingly difficult to contain in eastern Congo, where insecurity, population displacement and limited access to healthcare are complicating surveillance and treatment efforts.

Médecins Sans Frontières said this week that transmission in North Kivu had intensified sharply since early September, with the province accounting for nearly 40% of newly confirmed cases nationwide.

The spread beyond Congo underscores the challenge facing health authorities across the region. WHO has warned that movement through informal border crossings can facilitate the export and import of the virus, making regional coordination and surveillance critical to containing further transmission.

Kenyan authorities said the deceased patient had lived in Congo for about seven years and had fallen ill roughly a month before returning to Kenya. He traveled by road to Kampala before boarding a flight to Nairobi, officials said. (ILKHA)