Kenya Confirms Four New Ebola Cases, Total Now Seven — SkimNews
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- Kenya's Health Ministry confirmed four new Ebola cases on Saturday, bringing the country's total to seven and marking its first outbreak of the virus after the index case was announced Oct. 6
- The new infections include a relative of the index patient and three health workers who treated him; two relatives are in stable condition and responding to treatment, the Ministry said
- Kenyan officials stated there is no evidence of community transmission, with most at-risk contacts traced and quarantined
- All Kenyan cases involve the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or accepted treatment per the World Health Organization, with fatality rates reaching 50% per the United Nations
- The index case was a man who died after arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak has killed more than 4,400 people and infected more than 9,200 — making it the second largest on record
Why it matters: Kenya's tally jumped from one to seven in days, and the infection of three health workers shows how fast Ebola moves through medical contacts. With no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain and a 50% fatality rate, containment hinges entirely on contact tracing.
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