ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday expressed solidarity with Kenya following the country's confirmation of its first Bundibugyo Ebola case, while calling for enhanced regional preparedness.

The African Union's specialized continental public health agency said in a statement that a high-level, multidisciplinary Africa CDC team will be dispatched to Kenya on Tuesday to provide support.

"I will personally travel to Kenya in the coming days to assess, together with the national authorities, the needs of the response and any additional support required," said Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya.

Earlier in the day, Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease, after a man died in a Nairobi hospital on Monday.

The patient was a Kenyan citizen who had lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the past seven years, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said in a statement.

Kenyan authorities have identified 28 contacts, including family members and health workers, and are tracing a further 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled with the patient.

The Africa CDC also called on member states to strengthen surveillance and cross-border information sharing, ensure laboratory readiness, reinforce rapid response teams, and maintain strong infection prevention and control measures. ■

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