Kenya has confirmed its eighth Ebola infection, involving a 49-year-old hospital patient attendant who was likely exposed to the virus while working in the room of the country’s first reported patient.
Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth announced the case on Sunday, October 18, after health officials tested 38 people and found one positive result.
The man developed a fever, headache and muscle pain. He had been in quarantine since October 9 and was isolated after testing positive, according to Amoth, who spoke during an interview with Citizen TV.
The patient was not a direct healthcare worker but worked at a health facility handling tasks including cleaning utensils and linens. Amoth said he was likely exposed to the virus in the room of Kenya’s first Ebola patient.
Kenya’s initial case involved a businessman in his forties who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Uganda before reaching Nairobi. He died in a Nairobi hospital on October 5, and the case was reported the following day.
The other seven confirmed infections have involved relatives of the first patient and health workers who treated him. Amoth said the other patients were in stable condition.
Kenyan authorities have identified 130 contacts linked to the outbreak. Of these, 128 had been traced and placed in quarantine by the time officials reported the figures last week.
The latest infection comes as health authorities intensify surveillance and contact tracing to limit further transmission. The outbreak has raised concerns across East Africa because of cross-border travel and the spread of the virus beyond the DRC.
Uganda recorded 20 cases and two deaths linked to the outbreak before declaring itself free of the virus in August.
In the DRC, where the outbreak began, infections and deaths have continued to rise. The virus has also spread to North Ubangi, bringing the number of affected provinces to eight.
