Kenya: IRC scales up Ebola response as cases climb and the threat persists

Nairobi, Kenya, October 19, 2026 - Kenya has confirmed 7 more Ebola cases since the first on October 6, and with the outbreak rapidly spreading in neighboring DRC, the risk is far from contained. Government action has traced and quarantined more than 99% of contacts, a sign that Kenya's early response is working. The IRC is supporting the government to expand screening in high risk areas, including at Kenya's major international airport, contact tracing and training health workers in high-risk areas.

Kenya's first case, a Kenyan citizen who traveled from the DRC through Uganda and died in Nairobi, shows how fast the virus can cross borders and reach a major city. Authorities immediately began tracing family members, health workers and fellow passengers who had been in contact with him.

'Kenya has a chance to stay ahead of an Ebola outbreak in the country," said Irene Bosire, IRC deputy director of programs in Kenya. "We must act fast, stopping any potential spread here and at its source in eastern DRC."

The IRC is calling for continued funding for contact tracing, border screening and training of frontline health workers in Kenya. In the DRC, where distrust towards the Ebola response is growing, we urgently need to double down on community engagement. More outreach workers need to go door to door and work with trusted local leaders to explain the role of health officials in preventing Ebola's spread. That work costs money, and funding is arriving neither fast enough nor at the necessary scale.

In addition to sitting on the National Taskforce on Ebola, the IRC is supporting the Ministry of Health's (MoH) screening and response at border crossings and transport corridors including Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and 13 high risk counties. In these areas, IRC is supporting the MoH to:

• Strengthen health screening at border crossings and other entry points
• Trace and following up people who have been in contact with confirmed cases
• Share clear information with communities including through mass communications campaigns
• Provide materials such as gloves, masks and sanitizers and training frontline health workers to prevent infection in clinics and hospitals

In DRC, the IRC has been responding since the outbreak was declared on May 15, working with the Ministry of Health in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. IRC teams are helping keep basic health care running, protecting health workers and patients from infection, working with communities to build trust, and providing protection and mental health support alongside mobile health teams.