NAIROBI — Kenya has confirmed four new cases of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, bringing its total to seven, including one death, the Ministry of Health said.
Three of the new patients are health workers — two men and a woman aged 29, 35 and 32 — who cared for the country’s first patient on Oct. 3 and 4 and had been in quarantine since Oct. 9, the ministry said, according to KBC. The fourth is a close male relative of the first patient who had been in quarantine since Oct. 6.
The first patient died on Oct. 5 after falling ill in the Democratic Republic of Congo and flying to Nairobi on Oct. 3, Al Jazeera reported. Congo’s epidemic has recorded more than 9,000 cases and more than 4,300 deaths since it was officially detected in May.
Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth said all four new patients developed fever while in quarantine and were isolated immediately. “Since all the four new cases have been in quarantine, they were diagnosed early limiting risk of further spread of the disease,” he said, while warning that more cases among quarantined contacts are possible until their 21-day monitoring period ends.
The ministry said 128 of 130 identified contacts — 98.5% — have been traced and quarantined, above the 85% global benchmark, and that there is no evidence of community transmission. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it would keep supporting Kenya’s response and stressed protective equipment and training for frontline health workers.
There are currently no vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, Al Jazeera noted. Amoth said Kenya remains open for business, with no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings.
Sources: KBC, Africa CDC, Al Jazeera
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