Kenya confirms eighth Ebola case as outbreak spreads in Congo
Kyiv • UNN
Kenya has detected its eighth Ebola case, while 128 contacts remain in quarantine. In the DRC, the outbreak has now spread to eight provinces.
Kenya has confirmed its eighth case of Ebola, while the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to spread to new areas. UNN reports this, citing Euronews.
Details
Kenyan authorities have detected the country’s eighth case of Ebola after another person who was in quarantine tested positive, a representative of the country’s Ministry of Health said on October 18.
The latest patient is a 49-year-old man who assisted the first Ebola patient. He exhibited symptoms including fever, high temperature, headache, and muscle pain, and was placed in quarantine after likely contact with the virus.
"Today we tested 38 people; one of them tested positive," said Minister of Health Patrick Amoth, adding that the man had been in quarantine since October 9.
Kenya reported its first-ever Ebola death on October 5, when a man who lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) died after returning to Kenya.
The other seven cases involve relatives of the first patient or medical workers who treated him; Amoth said their condition is stable.
The ministry said that 128 people who had contact with the first patient remain in quarantine.
The country remains open, with no restrictions on travel, trade, or public gatherings, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the country is intensifying efforts to monitor the spread of Ebola and raise public awareness.
Neighboring Tanzania has tightened border controls and introduced mandatory health declarations and 21-day monitoring for travelers arriving from high-risk countries.
Outbreak reaches eighth province in Congo
Meanwhile, the outbreak continues to grow in the DRC and has reached its eighth province. Two new cases, including one fatality, were recorded over the past weekend in the previously unaffected province of Nord-Ubangi, which borders the Central African Republic.
Authorities reported 9,455 infections and 4,561 deaths as a result of the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.
"We are seeing Ebola hotspots generally decrease, but unfortunately, geographically, it is spreading," WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi told the Associated Press.
Janabi noted that one of the biggest challenges is persuading infected people to seek medical care, adding that some deaths occur in communities outside medical centers.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no licensed vaccines or specific treatments, although trials are being conducted in the DRC.