Kenya has confirmed its eighth Ebola case after testing 38 people, as health authorities continue tracing and monitoring contacts linked to the country's first reported infection.
Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth announced the latest case on Sunday, October 18, identifying the patient as a 49-year-old man who developed fever, headache and muscle pain.
“Today we tested 38 persons; one turned positive. Not a direct healthcare worker, a 49-year-old gentleman who developed symptoms of fever, headache and muscle pain, and his test came out positive,” Amoth said during an interview with Citizen TV.
Kenya's outbreak began with an imported case involving a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The patient travelled through Uganda and arrived in Nairobi on October 3 before dying on October 5, according to the Ministry of Health.
The virus subsequently spread to people who had contact with the first patient.
On October 17, health authorities confirmed four additional cases involving three health workers who had treated the initial patient and a male relative.
All four patients were already in quarantine when they tested positive, according to the Ministry of Health.
By October 17, authorities had traced and placed 128 of 130 identified contacts in quarantine.
Health teams are monitoring exposed people for 21 days, the maximum incubation period for the disease.
The latest case raises the number of confirmed infections to eight, increasing the workload for teams conducting surveillance, testing and contact tracing.
The outbreak involves Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease, a strain for which there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment.
Patients receive supportive care to manage symptoms and complications.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person or someone who has died from the disease. It does not spread through the air.
WHO has said that identifying cases early, isolating patients and monitoring their contacts are key measures in limiting further transmission.
