Ebola cases jump to seven in Kenya as three health workers infected

Kenya has confirmed four new Ebola infections, including three healthcare workers, raising its total to seven cases in less than two weeks, THEWILL reports.

The Ministry of Health said the four patients developed fever while already in quarantine and were immediately isolated before tests confirmed the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. They are a male relative of Kenya’s first Ebola victim and three health workers who treated him: two men, aged 29 and 35, and a 32-year-old woman.

The relative had been in quarantine since October 6, while the health workers were quarantined on October 9. They had cared for the patient in hospital on October 3 and 4, before his infection was confirmed.

The index patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan businessman who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, died on October 5. Kenya notified the World Health Organisation of its first imported case on October 6.

The latest infections are the clearest sign yet that the imported case has triggered local transmission. Authorities insist the virus remains confined to known contacts, with no evidence of uncontrolled community spread.

Health officials have traced 128 of 130 contacts, up from 127 on Friday. The ministry says the risk to the public remains low. No travel or gathering restrictions have been announced.

In the DRC, the outbreak had recorded 9,066 confirmed infections and 4,381 deaths as of October 13, making it the second-worst Ebola epidemic ever recorded. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, and patients receive supportive care.