Kenya confirms four more Ebola cases, bringing total to seven — Cyprus Mail

Kenya has confirmed four new cases of infection with the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to seven. The new patients include three healthcare workers who treated the country’s first patient, Cyprus Mail reports, citing Kenya’s Ministry of Health.

New cases among contacts

The fourth new patient is a relative of the first infected person, who died. According to the ministry, he had been in quarantine since October 6. The three healthcare workers — two men aged 29 and 35 and a 32-year-old woman — provided care to the first patient on October 3 and 4. They were placed in quarantine on October 9.

All four new patients were already in quarantine when they developed symptoms and were diagnosed. These are the first known cases of transmission within Kenya since the first patient arrived from Congo on October 3.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Patient contacts isolated

The first patient had been ill in Congo for about a month, after which he travelled to Uganda by car and flew to Nairobi. He died on October 5. The ministry said there are currently no signs of the virus spreading among the population.

The second and third patients, reported earlier, are in stable condition and receiving supportive treatment. Of 130 contacts, 128 have been traced and placed in quarantine, or 98.5%. The ministry said this figure exceeds the global benchmark of 85% needed to break the chain of transmission. The search for two more contacts is ongoing.

No restrictions introduced

Kenyan authorities assess the risk to the population as low and have not imposed restrictions on travel, trade, or mass gatherings. The cases in Kenya are linked to an Ebola outbreak in Congo, where, according to the cited data, more than 9,000 infections and over 4,000 deaths have been recorded. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.