Kenya Reports 7 Ebola Cases, Including 3 Health Workers
Three healthcare workers who cared for Kenya's first confirmed Ebola patient have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections to seven.
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Three Kenyan health workers have tested positive for Ebola after caring for the country's first confirmed case, the Health Ministry announced Saturday. An additional person linked to the initial case also tested positive while in quarantine, raising the total number of infections in Kenya to seven.
The ministry stated that the four new patients are currently in isolation and receiving medical care. The two other patients remain in stable condition.
The first confirmed Ebola case in Kenya involved a 40-year-old Kenyan man who died on October 5, days after arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo. That outbreak in Congo has resulted in at least 4,300 deaths since May, accounting for nearly half of all confirmed cases there.
The current outbreak in Kenya involves the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
Ebola is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, such as blood and vomit, or through contact with contaminated materials like bedding and clothing.
Health officials have identified approximately 130 individuals who had been in contact with the first patient. Of these, 128 are currently in quarantine, and two are being traced.
Kenya has intensified screening measures and established an emergency hotline for individuals who suspect contact with an Ebola patient or are experiencing symptoms.