Kenya confirms seven Ebola cases including three health workers

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 17 Oct, 19:32 · Archive

Kenya has confirmed seven cases of Ebola Bundibugyo virus, including three health workers who treated the country's first patient.

Kenya's health ministry has confirmed seven cases of Ebola Bundibugyo virus. Three of the new cases are health workers who treated the country's first confirmed patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan man who died on 5 October, days after arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo. A fourth person linked to the first patient also tested positive whilst in quarantine. The four new patients are in isolation and receiving care, whilst two others are in stable condition.

The Bundibugyo virus has no approved vaccine or treatment. Ebola is highly contagious, spreading through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or with contaminated materials such as bedding and clothing. Kenya's health ministry identified about 130 people who had been in contact with the first patient. Of those, 128 were in quarantine and two were being traced. The country has strengthened screening at borders and established an emergency hotline for suspected cases.

The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the first patient came from, began in mid-May in the east of the country. The Congolese health authority has confirmed 9348 laboratory-verified cases there, with 4510 deaths. The Africa CDC describes it as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.

How it is being reported

• Number of Ebola cases in Kenya rises to sevenKenya has confirmed four new cases of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus, including three health workers who treated the country's first patient.The West Australian · 17 Oct, 18:53
• Number of Ebola cases in Kenya rises to sevenKenya has confirmed four new cases of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus, including three health workers who treated the country's first patient.Perth Now · 17 Oct, 18:53

In this story: Kenya · Democratic Republic of Congo · Africa CDC

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