NAIROBI — Kenya has recorded a second Ebola death, the Health Ministry said late on Friday, adding that a 65-year-old woman who was a close relative of the Kenyan man who died of Ebola earlier this month had developed symptoms during quarantine.

Source: Reuters, Oct 23, 2026

The woman was a direct contact of the index patient, the ministry said. The Associated Press reported that she began showing symptoms 10 days ago and received supportive care at an infectious disease unit in the capital, Nairobi, and that medical personnel did everything possible to save her life before she died on Friday evening. Her family was notified, and the ministry said it would arrange a safe and dignified burial in consultation with relatives, AP reported.

Source: Associated Press, Oct 23, 2026

9confirmed Ebola cases in Kenya, the Health Ministry said
2deaths among those nine cases, including Friday's death
7remaining patients receiving care at two isolation facilities

"This loss brings the number of deaths to two among the nine confirmed cases. The remaining seven patients continue to receive care in the two isolation facilities," the ministry said, adding there was no evidence of community spread in the country, Reuters reported. AP reported that no new infections were reported on Friday.

Source: Reuters, Oct 23, 2026

Kenya announced its first-ever Ebola case on October 6, after a 40-year-old Kenyan man who had been living in Congo travelled to Kenya via Uganda, arriving on October 3; he tested positive at Nairobi Hospital on October 5 and died the same day, AP reported. Authorities have identified some 135 contacts of the first patient, placing 118 in quarantine; eight tested positive while in quarantine, including four health workers and four close family members, according to AP. The ministry said some contacts who completed the 21-day quarantine period without developing symptoms would be released starting Saturday.

Source: Associated Press, Oct 23, 2026

The outbreak, which started in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has now been reported in four countries across eastern, central and western Africa, giving it the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date, Reuters reported. Ebola has infected nearly 10,000 people and killed more than 4,600 in Congo, and the rare Bundibugyo species behind the current outbreak has no approved treatment or vaccine, Reuters said. Late on Monday, the US State Department advised Americans to reconsider travel to Kenya and raised its travel advisory level for the country because of health risks, according to Reuters.

Source: Reuters, Oct 23, 2026