Kenya Ebola Cases Jump to 7 as 3 Health Workers Infected
“The Ministry of Health confirms four new cases of Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus Disease). This brings the total number of confirmed cases to seven including the deceased first case,” Health Director General Patrick Amoth said in a statement.
Health workers among the newly infected
The three infected medical workers are two men, aged 29 and 35, and a woman, aged 32. All cared for the first patient on Oct. 3 and 4. The fourth case is a male relative of the first person to die of the disease, who had been in quarantine since Oct. 6, the ministry said.
Amoth said all four patients developed fevers while in quarantine and were isolated immediately. Laboratory tests confirmed the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute verified the results.
All four are receiving supportive care from trained health workers. The ministry said the second and third patients are stable and responding well to treatment.
Contact tracing and containment
Officials said that catching all four infections among people already in quarantine helped lower the risk of further spread. The ministry said 128 of 130 identified contacts, or 98.5%, have been traced and quarantined, and teams are still searching for the remaining two. It is also monitoring four relatives who cared for the first patient during his hospital stay.
Amoth said there is no evidence of community transmission and that the risk to the general public remains low. Despite the new cases, Kenya has imposed no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings, and authorities say the country remains open for business.
Index case traveled from Congo
The first confirmed patient had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo before traveling through Uganda and reaching Nairobi on Oct. 3. He died two days later.
The cases have heightened fears of Ebola spreading across East Africa, given the steady movement of people between Kenya, Uganda and Congo.
In Congo, health authorities have reported more than 9,000 infections and over 4,000 deaths as of Oct. 14, making it the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record, according to figures attributed to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Regional health officials continue to watch for cross-border transmission as Kenya steps up contact tracing and surveillance.
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