Kenya reports second Ebola death, a 65-year-old woman

Kenya’s Health Ministry announced on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, that a 65-year-old woman has died of Ebola, the country’s second death from the outbreak and a close relative of the first patient, The Associated Press reported.

The death brings the toll to two among nine confirmed infections, according to Anadolu Agency. Seven patients remain in care at two isolation facilities. The illness is Bundibugyo virus disease, a strain for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists.

The woman was a direct contact and close family member of the first patient, a man who flew into Nairobi on Oct. 3 and died on Oct. 5, the ministry said. She was already in quarantine when she developed symptoms on Oct. 13 and was admitted to an infectious disease unit that day. Anadolu reported that she received supportive care but her condition worsened and she died late Friday.

“The Ministry of Health is deeply saddened to announce the passing on of a 65-year-old female patient,” Health Director General Patrick Amoth said, according to Anadolu. The ministry said “all cases remain within one cluster of known contacts, and there is no evidence of community spread.”

The ministry is working with the family on a safe burial, to be carried out by specially trained teams under infection-control protocols, Anadolu reported. Kenya has stepped up surveillance, contact tracing and quarantine since confirming its first case earlier this month. The BBC, which reported the death on its Africa page, has also asked whether the outbreak is under control after the ninth case was confirmed.

The case count had climbed quickly. Our earlier reports covered the second case in a quarantined relative on Oct. 14 and the rise to seven cases, three of them health workers, on Oct. 17. The AP reported on Oct. 20 that a ninth patient, a 24-year-old man already in quarantine, had tested positive, with all cases in one cluster.

The outbreak began in neighbouring Congo, where deaths have reached 4,381, as covered in our report on the Congo toll. Nigeria has also confirmed an imported case, detailed in our report on the Swiss diplomat’s wife.

For Canadians, the main effect is on travel planning. Canada’s Ebola entry measures, which apply to foreign nationals who last lived in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan, stay in place until Nov. 27. Kenya is not on that list, and this report found no announcement from Ottawa of a change after the second death. Global Affairs Canada’s travel advice for Kenya currently reads “exercise a high degree of caution,” with regional advisories. None of the outlets reviewed reported a Canadian connection to the cases.

What happens next depends on whether any other contacts still in quarantine fall ill. Contacts are monitored for 21 days, so the first patient’s contacts remain under watch into late October. The ministry has said it will continue to publish updates.

This is a developing story. The ministry’s own statement was not available to this newsroom, and the figures above are as reported by the AP and Anadolu Agency.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.

Via The Associated Press (as carried by CTV News), Anadolu Agency and BBC News.