Kenya has confirmed four new cases of Ebola, bringing the country’s total to seven, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday, October 17.
Three of the new patients are health workers who cared for the country’s first Ebola patient. The fourth is a relative of that patient who had been in quarantine since October 6. All four tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
Contacts traced
The ministry said 128 of the first patient’s 130 known contacts, or 98.5%, had been placed in quarantine, above the 85% global benchmark considered necessary to break chains of transmission. It said there was no evidence of community spread.
Kenya’s first patient died on October 5 after falling ill in the Democratic Republic of Congo and travelling to Nairobi on October 3. The new infections are the first known to have been transmitted within Kenya.
Regional outbreak
The cases are linked to the outbreak in the DR Congo, which has recorded more than 9,000 confirmed cases and over 4,300 deaths since it was detected in May. There are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, although candidate vaccines are in early trials.
Health officials have urged anyone with symptoms such as sudden fever, weakness, vomiting or unexplained bleeding, especially after contact with a confirmed case or travel from affected areas, to seek care immediately and avoid self-medication.
