Kenya confirms four new Ebola cases as gov't says public risk remains low

• Health Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth said the new cases involved a close male relative of patient zero and three healthcare workers who treated the initial case while he was hospitalised.

Health CS Aden Duale presides over the signing of Intergovernmental Participatory Agreements (IPAs) under the Building Resilient and Responsive Health Systems (BREHS) Project on March 4, 2026. PHOTO | COURTESY

Kenya has confirmed four new cases of Ebola, bringing the total number to seven, including the first patient who died, as the Ministry of Health intensifies efforts to contain the outbreak.

In a statement issued on Saturday, October 17, Health Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth said the new cases involved a close male relative of patient zero and three healthcare workers who treated the initial case while he was hospitalised.

The three healthcare workers, two men and one woman aged 29, 35 and 32, respectively, developed symptoms after attending to the first patient between October 3 and 4, 2026.

According to the ministry, the healthcare workers had been in quarantine since October 9, while the male relative had been quarantined since October 6.

All four patients developed fever as their first symptom and were immediately isolated before samples were collected for testing.

Their results returned positive for Bundibugyo virus disease at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) laboratory.

The ministry said the patients were receiving supportive care at designated treatment facilities, adding that the second and third patients previously reported were stable and responding well to treatment.

Amoth said the early detection of the latest cases had been made possible by quarantine measures, reducing the risk of further transmission to family members and the wider public.

“The risk to the general public remains low as there is no evidence of community transmission of the disease,” the ministry stated.

The Ministry of Health reported that 128 of the 130 contacts had been traced, representing 98.5 per cent, had been traced and placed in quarantine.

The figure exceeds the global contact-tracing benchmark of 85 per cent cited by the ministry as necessary to help break the chain of transmission.

Efforts are ongoing to trace the two remaining contacts, while health teams continue monitoring individuals in quarantine throughout the 21-day observation period.

The ministry cautioned that additional cases could still emerge among quarantined contacts during this period but said anyone developing symptoms would be identified and treated promptly.

Four family members of the deceased patient and healthcare workers who attended to him during his hospital stay are also under close monitoring.

The Ministry maintained that the country remains open for business, with no restrictions imposed on travel, trade or public gatherings despite the rising number of confirmed cases.

The ministry urged Kenyans to remain calm and vigilant, emphasising that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected or deceased person and not through the air.

Members of the public experiencing symptoms such as fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding have been urged to report immediately to the nearest health facility.