Kenya has confirmed an eighth Ebola case, a 49-year-old patient attendant who cleaned utensils and linens and was likely exposed to the country’s first infected patient.
The Ministry of Health announced the new Bundibugyo virus infection on Sunday after 38 people were tested and one returned positive, Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said.
The man developed fever, headache and muscle pain while already in quarantine. He is the second non-healthcare-worker secondary case identified among contacts of the index patient.
The index case was a 40-year-old Kenyan man who travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda, arrived in Nairobi on October 3 and died on October 5.
On Saturday the total stood at seven after four new cases were confirmed: three healthcare workers who treated the first patient and one relative, all detected while in quarantine.
Of 130 listed contacts, 128 (98.5%) have been traced and placed under quarantine, above the 85% global benchmark for interrupting chains of transmission. Officials report no evidence of community spread.
The Kenyan infections are tied to the Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak, now the second-largest on record, with more than 9,000 confirmed cases and over 4,400 deaths since May. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment and has reached an eighth province.
Kenya has screened hundreds of thousands of travellers and expanded isolation capacity. Neighbouring countries have tightened border checks. Authorities continue to advise the public to remain vigilant and call 719 for guidance.
