Kenya's Ebola cases jump to eight in two weeks
Kenya confirmed its eighth Ebola case just over two weeks after the first patient arrived from Congo.
Kenya has now recorded eight confirmed cases of Ebola, all within only two weeks of the country's first documented infection. The first patient, a 40-year-old man who travelled from Congo via Uganda, died two days after arriving in early October.
Three of his close relatives and three health workers are among those who have tested positive. Health Ministry director Patrick Amoth confirmed the eighth case was a 49-year-old person in quarantine who had cared for the first patient.
Up to 128 people identified as contacts remain quarantined and are being tested. Six other patients are stable after receiving treatment.
Kenya has strengthened border screening and set up an emergency hotline. Meanwhile, Congo continues to face the world's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak, with at least 4,000 deaths since May spreading across eight provinces.
- 8 confirmed within 2 weeks
- Cases in Kenya
- At least 4,000 since May
- Deaths in Congo
- Up to 128 people
- Contacts quarantined
Why it mattersEbola spreads through direct contact with body fluids, making rapid case rises a critical public health emergency.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, but the outbreak's spread into Kenya suggests African health systems are struggling to contain it despite lessons from past epidemics.
Corroborated byperthnow.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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