Kenya’s eighth Ebola case highlights exposure risks
A patient attendant is likely to have been exposed to Kenya’s first case, as the Bundibugyo outbreak reaches another province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kenyan health authorities have confirmed the country’s eighth Ebola infection: a 49-year-old patient attendant who was likely exposed to the first reported case. Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said one of 38 people tested on Sunday returned a positive result.
The man, who cleaned utensils and linens, developed symptoms on Saturday and was quarantined and tested, according to a Ministry of Health source. The reported link to the first case is described as likely exposure; the source does not confirm transmission.
Kenya’s first patient had travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and died at a Nairobi hospital on 5 October. The Health Ministry reported four additional cases on Saturday, including three health workers who treated him and a relative.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which the source reports there is no vaccine or specific treatment. It says the DRC has recorded at least 9,400 cases and more than 4,500 deaths since May, with North Ubangi now the eighth affected province.
The source also reports 20 confirmed cases and two deaths in Uganda before the country was declared Ebola-free in August.
