Kenya confirms eighth Ebola case as outbreak spreading from Congo puts the region on alert
Kenya has detected an eighth Ebola case, bringing the total number of known infections in the East African nation to eight. Health authorities say the latest patient was likely exposed to the country's first Ebola case.
Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth told Kenya's Citizen TV that of the 38 people tested on Sunday, one returned a positive result.
According to Amoth, the new patient is a 49-year-old man who is not a healthcare worker. He developed fever, headache and muscle pain.
The man worked as a patient attendant, cleaning utensils and linens. He was likely exposed to Kenya's first Ebola case, which was discovered earlier this month.
He developed symptoms on Saturday and was quarantined and tested for the virus, a Ministry of Health source said.
On Saturday, the ministry had already reported four new cases. Three of them were health workers who treated the country's first Ebola patient, a man who travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Nairobi and died at a Nairobi hospital on October 5.
In a post on X, the ministry said the fourth person from Saturday was related to the deceased patient — a sign that the chain of infection has moved from inside the hospital to family members and care staff as well.
Kenya has been on heightened alert as the Ebola outbreak has spilled across the border from the DRC. The current outbreak is of the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment, adding to the concern.
The situation in the DRC is far graver. The country has recorded at least 9,400 cases, including more than 4,500 deaths, in the deadliest outbreak in its history, which started in May.
Ituri province in eastern DRC remains the disease's epicentre, accounting for almost three quarters of confirmed cases, according to the government's most recent data. On Sunday it was announced that the virus has reached an eighth province, North Ubangi.
State-run news agency ACP reported on Sunday that authorities in North Kivu province, where the World Health Organization says substantial transmission continues, are introducing a one-week ban from Monday on people entering the province from Ituri in an effort to slow the spread.
Other measures set to be introduced include restrictions on passenger numbers in cars and on motorbikes, and the suspension of large public gatherings.
Neighbouring Uganda's experience is a reminder of the regional risk. Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, including 15 imported from the DRC, and two deaths, before it was declared Ebola-free in August. With cases still rising in Kenya, attention will now focus on tracing and monitoring the contacts of those infected.
