The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has detailed how a Kenyan man who died of Ebola received multiple diagnoses before his infection was detected in Nairobi.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

According to Wessam Mankoula, the head of emergency preparedness at Africa CDC, the 40-year-old man, who died on Monday, October 5, was not initially suspected of carrying the Ebola virus.

Mankoula told The Associated Press (AP) that the man had been living and working in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where he reportedly showed symptoms that were missed during his treatment and subsequent travel.

The businessman first fell ill in September with the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

📌 What You Need to Know

Africa CDC, one of the agencies monitoring the outbreak, said the man received different diagnoses at various health facilities.

“We have multiple diagnoses that vary from one station to another. At the beginning, he presented with fever and a rash,” Mankoula explained.

“They suspected it was a staphylococcal infection, and he began getting treatment,” he added.

According to Mankoula, the patient did not improve and sought treatment at several health facilities. However, Ebola was not suspected during his movements between facilities.

After seeking treatment in the DRC for nearly a month, he travelled from the northern town of Buta, driving south to Kisangani before taking a domestic flight to Beni, an Ebola outbreak hotspot.

From Beni, the patient crossed into Uganda by road despite official border closures intended to contain the outbreak.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke