Kenya has confirmed a ninth case of Ebola, as health authorities report that the eight surviving patients are stable and responding positively to treatment.
The country’s Ministry of Health said the latest case involves a 24-year-old man who is a close relative of the first confirmed patient. He reportedly developed symptoms while in quarantine and tested positive on October 19.
In a statement signed by the Director-General for Health, Patrick Amoth, the ministry said all nine cases were linked to a single cluster, with no evidence of transmission beyond the identified group.
Kenya’s first patient was a 40-year-old man who travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi on October 3. He later died at a hospital on October 5.
The ministry said the eight surviving patients were receiving supportive care, adding that 500 doses of medicine had been received to support the treatment of confirmed cases.
Meanwhile, contact-tracing efforts have reached 134 of the 135 identified contacts, representing 99.3 per cent. Those who entered quarantine on October 6 and remain symptom-free are expected to complete their 21-day monitoring period, with the first group due to begin returning home from October 25.
To strengthen containment efforts, authorities have distributed protective equipment, diagnostic kits and sample-collection materials to high-risk counties. A dedicated laboratory has also been established at Kenyatta National Hospital to support Ebola testing without disrupting other laboratory services.
Despite the outbreak, the ministry said Kenya had not introduced restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings.
The cases are linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the Bundibugyo virus has continued to spread across multiple health zones. The World Health Organisation reported more than 8,700 confirmed cases and over 4,200 deaths in the DRC as of October 6.
