Kenya’s Ebola cases hit 8, with no community transmission yet

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ebola cases in Kenya rose to eight on Sunday after another person tested positive while in quarantine, having been identified as a contact of the first patient.

Health Ministry Director-General Dr. Patrick Amoth said the eighth case involved a 49-year-old patient attendant who had attended to the first Ebola patient, who died at Nairobi Hospital two days after arriving in the country from Congo via Uganda.

Amoth said people in quarantine were being tested after developing symptoms. He added that the other six patients were stable after receiving supportive treatment.

Some 130 contacts, including health workers, were listed after the first patient died on Oct. 5, with 128 remaining in quarantine.

Ebola is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood and vomit, or through contact with contaminated materials and surfaces, such as bedding and clothing. Congo has been experiencing its deadliest outbreak, with at least 4,000 deaths since May.

Kenya’s first case involved a 40-year-old Kenyan man who traveled from Congo through Uganda, arriving in Kenya on Oct. 3. A relative drove him to the hospital, and he died on Oct. 5.

Three of his close relatives are among those who have tested positive for the virus. Three health workers have also tested positive for Ebola.

Kenya’s neighbor, Tanzania, has tightened border screenings and introduced mandatory health declarations and 21-day monitoring for travelers arriving from high-risk countries.

Kenya’s first case exposed gaps in screening measures at border points. The country has since strengthened screening and established an emergency hotline for anyone who suspects they may have been in contact with an Ebola patient or develops symptoms.

The country has designated a gate at Nairobi’s main airport for all flights arriving from 10 countries identified as being at the center of the Ebola outbreak.