OMM Newsroom
Kenya has confirmed another Ebola infection, bringing the total number of cases to nine, including one death. All infections remain within a single cluster, with no evidence of transmission beyond it, health authorities said, according to Anadolu Agency.
“The Ministry of Health confirms one further case of the disease, bringing the total to nine (9) confirmed cases, including the first case, who died,” Health Director General Patrick Amoth said in a statement.
The latest patient, a 24-year-old man and close relative of the first confirmed case, tested positive on Oct. 19 after developing symptoms while in quarantine. The ministry said he was immediately isolated and placed under treatment.
Amoth said the eight surviving patients were responding positively to treatment and improving under close medical supervision. “All nine cases belong to one cluster, and as of today there is no evidence of transmission outside this group,” he said.
The ministry said it had traced and quarantined 134 of 135 identified contacts, or 99.3%, exceeding the international contact-tracing benchmark of 85%. The number of contacts continues to rise as officials identify more people who may have been exposed to newly confirmed patients.
Kenya has received 500 doses of medicines to support treatment and distributed protective equipment, diagnostic supplies and other medical commodities to 28 counties classified as high-risk or very high-risk.
A dedicated laboratory has been established at the Kenyatta National Hospital Infectious Disease Unit in Nairobi to test Ebola patients without disrupting the hospital’s laboratory services. The ministry said no infections had occurred in quarantine facilities and that it was continually monitoring infection-prevention measures to protect health workers.
Contacts who entered quarantine on Oct. 6 and remain symptom-free are due to begin returning home on Oct. 25, after completing the required 21-day monitoring period.
Kenya has not imposed restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings despite the additional infections. Authorities said the country remains open for business.
The first confirmed patient had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before travelling through Uganda and arriving in Nairobi on Oct. 3. He died two days later.
The infections have raised concerns about the potential spread of Ebola in East Africa, particularly given the movement of people between Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had reported more than 9,000 Ebola infections and over 4,000 deaths as of Oct. 14, figures attributed to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The outbreak was the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record.
Health authorities in the region continue to monitor the risk of cross-border transmission as Kenya steps up contact tracing and surveillance to contain the infections.
