Kenya recorded its second death from Ebola after a 65-year-old relative of the first victim died in quarantine, the country's health ministry said.
Zoom in: The woman was a direct contact and close family member of the first case, and she was under quarantine when she developed symptoms on 13 October, the health ministry said.
- Seven other Ebola patients are being treated at two isolation facilities: three more relatives of the first victim, three health workers and a hospital cleaner.
The backstory: Kenya's first death, on 5 October, was a man who fell ill in September and was treated in several hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo before arriving in Nairobi, where he died a few days later. This is Kenya's first ever outbreak of the disease.
By the numbers: More than 4,000 people have died in Africa since Ebola was confirmed in DR Congo in May, making it the second deadliest outbreak of the disease. DR Congo has logged more than 9,500 cases, according to the International Rescue Committee.
Between the lines: Nigeria's health minister, Professor Ali Pate, said the country's single confirmed case appears genetically related to a strain identified earlier in Kenya. Officials are investigating whether the two first patients crossed paths at Uganda's Entebbe International Airport earlier this month.
- "We are conducting additional tests. Some of the results are negative, while others are pending," Pate said, adding there is no evidence so far that the Kenyan patient travelled to Nigeria.
Yes, but: All of Kenya's cases sit within one cluster, with no evidence of community spread, the health ministry said.
What's next: Kenya has introduced enhanced screening for travellers from DR Congo and nine other countries it considers high risk, requires a digital surveillance form and a QR code before boarding, and has ordered public health screening of arriving aircraft.
Why it matters: The Bundibugyo species behind this outbreak has no approved vaccine or treatment, trials are still under way, and the United States has already warned its citizens against travelling to Kenya.
