Preliminary test results for a Kenyan patient suspected of carrying the Ebola virus have come back negative, according to a statement Thursday from the governor of Wajir County, where the patient is being treated. The news eases concerns about a possible second case in the East African nation, after Kenya recorded its first Ebola infection this week.
"I am pleased to announce that the preliminary test results show the sample is NEGATIVE for Ebola virus disease," the Wajir County governor said in the statement.
The suspected patient is a 20-year-old man who traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Uganda into Kenya. The earlier Kenyan patient, who tested positive and later died, had followed the same route.
Kenya reported its first Ebola case on Tuesday, after a Kenyan citizen contracted the disease in the DRC and died in Nairobi. It was the first case ever recorded in the country.
Ebola outbreak spreading
The dangerous strain of the Ebola virus has spread widely since emerging in the DRC earlier this year. The DRC officially declared an outbreak in May.
Kenya is the fourth country to record a case linked to the DRC outbreak — the second-largest in history. The ongoing outbreak in eastern DRC has killed at least 4,205 people out of more than 8,700 reported cases.
The outbreak has crossed the border into Uganda, which recorded about 20 cases before being declared Ebola-free in July.
The virus strain driving the latest spread is known as the Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), believed to have jumped from animals to humans through a new transmission route. There is currently no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain.
The first case in Kenya raised concerns about the virus in neighboring Uganda and exposed gaps in Kenya's border controls. The patient who died was able to pass through multiple temperature checks at the airport.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with Kenyan authorities to trace contacts and step up screening of inbound passengers.
