Kenyan authorities have confirmed an eighth Ebola case in the country, raising concerns over the spread of the virus following an outbreak linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Health Ministry Director Patrick Amoth disclosed the latest case during an interview with Citizen TV on Sunday, saying the patient was a 49-year-old man who presented symptoms including fever, headaches and muscle pain.
Amoth said 38 people were tested on Sunday, with one returning a positive result. He added that the man had been in quarantine since October 9.
According to the official, the patient worked as support staff at a health facility, handling duties such as laundry, and was likely exposed to the virus in the room of Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola patient.
Kenya reported its first case on October 6, involving a businessman in his 40s who had lived in the DRC, where a major outbreak has been ongoing since May. The man travelled to Kenya by road and air through Uganda and died on October 5.
The other seven confirmed cases in Kenya were identified among relatives of the first patient and healthcare workers who treated him. Amoth said they were in stable condition.
Kenyan health authorities also reported last week that they had identified 130 contacts of infected individuals, with 128 traced and placed in quarantine.
Neighbouring Uganda recorded 20 cases and two deaths before declaring the end of its outbreak in August. Most of its cases were reportedly linked to infections imported from the DRC.
In the DRC, the outbreak has exceeded 9,000 cases, including 4,381 deaths, according to Congolese health authorities.
