Kenya has confirmed a new Ebola case, bringing the total number of infections in the country to nine. The development comes amid an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has raised concerns about spread across the region.
The latest patient is a 24-year-old man who was already under quarantine, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Tuesday. According to the ministry, he was isolated as soon as he showed symptoms, tested, and began treatment once his positive result was confirmed. He had been in quarantine before he fell sick, it added.
Link to Kenya’s first patient and contact tracing
The man is a close relative of the country’s first Ebola patient, who arrived from the DRC via Uganda and died at a Nairobi hospital on October 5. Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said in a statement on Tuesday that “All nine cases belong to one cluster,” and that there was no evidence of transmission beyond that group.
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Amoth said eight patients were stable and responding well to treatment, while 134 of 135 contacts had been traced and quarantined. He added that most contacts who completed the 21-day monitoring period could return home from October 25. The ministry urged communities to welcome them back, saying they “pose no risk of infection.”
Kenya keeps borders and trade open
The ministry said no infections had occurred inside quarantine facilities and that it was continuously monitoring infection-prevention measures to protect health workers. Despite the nine cases, Kenya has not imposed restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings. Authorities maintain that the nation stays open to commerce.
In the DRC, more than 9,000 Ebola cases and 4,000 deaths have been recorded since May. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says it is the second-largest epidemic on record. The outbreak has been hard to contain because there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
