NAIROBI, Kenya
Kenya confirmed another Ebola infection Tuesday, bringing the number of cases to nine.
It includes one death, as health authorities said all infections remain confined to a single cluster with no evidence of transmission beyond it.
“The Ministry of Health confirms one further case of the disease, bringing the total to nine (9) confirmed cases, including the first case, who died,” Health Director General Patrick Amoth said in a statement.
The latest patient, a 24-year-old man and close relative of the first confirmed case, tested positive Oct. 19 after developing symptoms while in quarantine.
The ministry said he was immediately isolated and placed under treatment.
Amoth said the eight surviving Ebola patients were responding positively to treatment, with their conditions improving under close medical supervision.
“All nine cases belong to one cluster, and as of today there is no evidence of transmission outside this group,” he said.
The ministry said it had traced and quarantined 134 of 135 identified contacts, representing 99.3%, exceeding the international contact-tracing benchmark of 85%.
Health officials said the number of contacts continues to rise as they identify additional people potentially exposed to newly confirmed patients.
Kenya has also received 500 doses of medicines to support treatment and distributed protective equipment, diagnostic supplies and other medical commodities to 28 counties classified as high-risk or very high-risk.
A dedicated laboratory has been established at the Kenyatta National Hospital Infectious Disease Unit in Nairobi to test Ebola patients without disrupting hospital laboratory services.
The ministry said no infections had occurred within quarantine facilities and that it was continuously monitoring infection-prevention measures to protect health workers.
Authorities also announced that contacts who entered quarantine on Oct. 6 and remain symptom-free would begin returning home Oct. 25 after completing the required 21-day monitoring period.
Despite the additional infections, Kenya has not imposed restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings, with authorities saying the country remains open for business.
The first confirmed patient had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo before traveling through Uganda and arriving in Nairobi on Oct. 3. He died two days later.
The infections have raised concerns about the potential spread of Ebola in East Africa, particularly given the movement of people between Kenya, Uganda and Congo.
Congo health authorities have reported more than 9,000 Ebola infections and over 4,000 deaths as of Oct. 14, making it the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record, according to figures attributed to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Health authorities in the region continue to monitor the risk of cross-border transmission as Kenya intensifies contact tracing and surveillance to contain infections.
