Africa CDC sends emergency team to Kenya after Ebola case

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday expressed solidarity with Kenya following confirmation of the country's first Bundibugyo Ebola case and called for enhanced regional preparedness.

The African Union's specialized public health agency said a high-level, multidisciplinary Africa CDC team would be dispatched to Kenya to support the country's response.

"I will personally travel to Kenya in the coming days to assess, together with the national authorities, the needs of the response and any additional support required," Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said.

Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease earlier Tuesday after a man died at a Nairobi hospital on Monday.

The patient was a Kenyan citizen who had lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for seven years, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said in a statement.

Kenyan authorities have identified 28 contacts, including family members and health workers.

They are also tracing a further 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled with the patient.

Africa CDC urged member states to strengthen disease surveillance and cross-border information sharing, ensure laboratory readiness, reinforce rapid response teams and maintain strong infection prevention and control measures.