Ebola in Kenya: Cases Rise to 8 as Spread Reaches Congo’s Eighth Province

Kenya confirms another infection

Health Ministry Director-General Dr. Patrick Amoth said 38 people were tested on Sunday and one result was positive. The newly confirmed patient is a 49-year-old man who is not a health worker.

Amoth said the man developed a fever, headache and muscle pain. He worked as a patient attendant, cleaning utensils and linen, and may have encountered Kenya’s first Ebola patient, whose infection was identified earlier this month.

The first patient died on October 5. Amoth said the other six patients were stable after supportive treatment, while quarantined people who develop symptoms are being tested.

Outbreak reaches another province

On Sunday, authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said Ebola had reached Nord-Ubangi, bringing the number of affected provinces to eight. The province borders the Central African Republic.

Congo’s Health Ministry reported two cases there, including one death. The country’s outbreak has caused at least 9,400 cases and more than 4,500 deaths since it was declared in mid-May.

Geographic spread continues

The outbreak is the deadliest in Congo’s history. Kenya has maintained heightened alert as the epidemic has spread in central Africa.

Virus and transmission

The current epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola type for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids.

Symptoms can include fever, fatigue and muscle pain, followed by vomiting and diarrhea. Some patients also experience internal or external bleeding.