A Kenyan businessman, who was Kenya's first confirmed Ebola case, travelled across three nations before his illness was identified. The 40-year-old was diagnosed with the infectious disease after arriving seriously ill at a Nairobi hospital and died on 5 October.
His infection went undetected at multiple health facilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and during two airport health screenings in Uganda and Kenya. This has raised serious questions about biosecurity in these nations during a significant outbreak.
Africa CDC, the continent's leading public health agency, has reconstructed the patient's movements over nearly six weeks. The agency's emergency director, Dr Wessam Mankoula, stated that this revealed several missed opportunities to detect the infection and potentially prevent dozens of people from coming into contact with the virus.
The man had lived in DR Congo for seven years and travelled across three of its provinces on business. His symptoms first emerged around 15 September, and he sought medical care in various locations before flying to Kisangani on 20 September. On 1 October, he boarded another domestic flight to Beni before crossing into Uganda and travelling to Entebbe International Airport, where he boarded a flight to Nairobi on 3 October.
He was not flagged as a suspected Ebola patient upon reaching Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Laboratory tests confirmed he had contracted the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. The Kenyan government has identified 66 people who may have been in contact with him after his arrival, and contact tracing in Uganda and DR Congo is ongoing.