Kenyan health officials said they have detected an eighth Ebola case, bringing the country's total known infections to eight. The announcement comes as an outbreak caused by the Ebola virus spreads from the Democratic Republic of Congo into neighboring countries.
Kenya's Director-General of Health Patrick Amoth told Citizen TV that of 38 people tested on Sunday, one returned a positive result.
"He is a 49-year-old man, not a health worker. He had fever, headache and muscle pain," Amoth said.
According to Amoth, the man worked in patient care, including washing equipment and laundering bed linens, and most likely came into contact with Kenya's first Ebola case, detected earlier this month. A source at the Health Ministry said the patient developed symptoms on Saturday, was isolated and had samples taken for virus testing.
Earlier, on Saturday, Kenya's Health Ministry reported four additional infections, including three health workers who had treated the country's first Ebola patient. The first patient was a man who traveled from DR Congo to Nairobi and died at a hospital in Nairobi on October 5. In a post on X, the Health Ministry said the fourth person in the new group was linked to the deceased patient.
Kenya is on high alert after the Ebola outbreak crossed the border from DR Congo. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a virus variant for which there is neither a vaccine nor a specific treatment.
In DR Congo, the outbreak that began in May has recorded at least 9,400 infections, including more than 4,500 deaths, making it the deadliest outbreak in the country's history. According to the latest government data, Ituri province in eastern DR Congo remains the epicenter, accounting for nearly three-quarters of confirmed cases. On Sunday, the country's authorities announced that the virus had spread to an eighth province, North Ubangi.
The state news agency ACP reported the same day that authorities in North Kivu province, where the World Health Organization says the virus is still transmitting significantly, will impose a one-week ban starting Monday on people entering the province from Ituri in an effort to slow the spread. Other measures expected to be introduced include limiting the number of passengers in cars and on motorcycles and suspending large gatherings.
Neighboring Uganda previously recorded 20 confirmed infections, including 15 imported from DR Congo, and two deaths, before the country was declared Ebola-free in August.
