Kenya has confirmed another Ebola infection, bringing the country's total to nine, as an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fuels concerns about regional transmission.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kenya's Ministry of Health said the latest patient is a 24-year-old man who had already been under isolation for monitoring. The ministry said he was isolated as soon as symptoms appeared, and that testing and treatment began immediately after a positive result was confirmed. Health officials stressed that the man "was already in the isolation unit when he fell ill."
The patient is a family member of Kenya's first Ebola case — a person who travelled from the DRC through Uganda before arriving in Kenya and who died at a hospital in Nairobi on October 5.
Director General of Health Patrick Amoth said all nine cases belong to the same cluster of infection and that there is no evidence so far of transmission beyond that cluster. According to Amoth, eight patients are in stable condition and responding well to treatment, while 134 of 135 close contacts have been traced and placed in isolation.
Amoth also said most of those in isolation have remained healthy throughout the 21-day monitoring period and could return home from October 25. The Ministry of Health urged communities to welcome them back, saying they "pose no risk of infection."
According to the Kenyan Ministry of Health, no infections have occurred within isolation facilities, and the ministry is continuously monitoring infection-control measures to protect health workers.
Despite recording nine cases, Kenya has not imposed restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings, with authorities citing the country's continued openness to economic activity.
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 (ECDC) says this is the second-largest outbreak ever recorded. It has been difficult to bring under control because no licensed vaccine or specific treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
