Three health workers and a relative of the deceased index case have tested positive for Ebola while 128 contacts have been traced and placed under quarantine.
The Ministry of Health confirmed last evening that there were four new cases of Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus Disease), bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to seven, including the deceased index case.
In a statement by Director General Ministry of Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, the new cases involve three health workers who attended to the initial patient while in hospital and a close male relative of the deceased, according to a statement issued by the Director-General for Health on Saturday.
The four patients developed fever as their first symptom and were immediately isolated before samples were collected for testing.
Laboratory tests at the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) confirmed that all four had contracted the disease.
The patients are receiving supportive care at a designated treatment facility, with the Ministry reporting that the second and third patients were stable and responding well to treatment.
The male relative had been in quarantine since October 6, while the three health workers, comprising two men and one woman aged 29, 35 and 32, respectively, had been under quarantine since October 9.
The health workers attended to the index case at a hospital between October 3 and 4.
The Ministry said the early detection of the infections was made possible because all four patients were already in quarantine, reducing the risk of further transmission to their families and the wider community.
It added that early diagnosis and treatment improved the patients’ chances of survival.
The government has reassured Kenyans that the risk to the general public remains low, noting that there is no evidence of community transmission.
Of the 130 contacts identified in connection with the outbreak, 128, representing 98.5 per cent, have been traced and placed under quarantine.
The Ministry said efforts were ongoing to trace the remaining two contacts, adding that new cases could still emerge among people under observation during the 21-day monitoring period.
Four family members of the deceased index case who cared for him during his hospital stay are also being closely monitored and continue to receive mental health and psychosocial support.
The Ministry said the country remained open for business, with no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings.
It urged Kenyans to remain calm and vigilant, emphasising that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected or deceased person and not through the air.
People experiencing symptoms such as fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding have been advised to report immediately to the nearest health facility.
The public can obtain further information by calling the Ministry’s toll-free line 719 or through its official website and social media platforms.
by Wangari Ndirangu
