Next 72 hours critical in fight against Ebola virus

Health workers in personal protective equipment simulate the evacuation of an Ebola victim using a manikin during a Médecins Sans Frontières training in Ongata Rongai, on July 10, 2026. [AFP]

Six months after the first case of Ebola infection was announced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the first case was detected in Nairobi. Kenya's preparedness, according to government officials, was top-notch. It turns out the reality was different. The patient, who had been ailing, traveled from the DRC to Uganda and then to Kenya, where he succumbed to the disease yesterday.

How was screening conducted at the airport, if at all? When did the hospital confirm the patient was infected by the virus? Is the patient's death what prompted officials to announce the first case? Why did the announcement come hours later? Do we have the capacity to care for patients if the infection spreads?