The latest case involves a 49-year-old man who worked as a patient attendant at a hospital where Kenya’s first Ebola patient had received treatment.
“Today, 38 people were tested, and one tested positive for Ebola,” Kenya’s Director General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amonth said on Saturday.
The newly infected man reportedly developed fever, headache and muscle pain. He was not a healthcare worker but had worked as a patient attendant, cleaning utensils and linens at the hospital.
The patient is believed to have contracted the virus through contact with Kenya’s first confirmed case, a man who travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through Uganda and died at a Nairobi hospital on October 5.
The latest infection brings Kenya’s total to eight confirmed cases, including the initial patient who died. Health authorities have been tracing people who came into contact with infected patients and monitoring them for symptoms.
The outbreak has prompted Kenya to strengthen screening at border points and airports, isolate suspected and confirmed cases, and expand surveillance.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has supported Kenya’s response, including contact tracing and monitoring people exposed to the virus.
The WHO has said Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person, or with objects contaminated by those fluids. It is not transmitted through the air.
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no licensed vaccine. Treatment focuses on supportive care, including managing symptoms and preventing dehydration.
In the DRC, where the outbreak began, health authorities have confirmed 4,381 deaths among 9,066 cases spreading across eight provinces, while neighboring countries have stepped up border vigilance to prevent regional transmission.
Kenyan authorities have urged people who may have been exposed to the virus or who develop symptoms to seek medical attention and follow official public health guidance.
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