Kenya confirms another Ebola case, taking total to eight

Kenya’s Ebola outbreak has reached eight confirmed infections after health authorities detected another case in a patient attendant, raising fresh concerns about the spread of the Bundibugyo strain.

Health Director General Patrick Amoth said the Ministry of Health tested 38 people on Sunday, with one returning a positive result. The patient is a 49-year-old man who developed fever, headache and muscle pain.

“Not a direct health care worker, a 49-year-old gentleman who developed symptoms of fever, headache, and muscle pain, and his test came out positive,” Amoth said on Citizen TV.

The patient has since been isolated and is being prepared to receive the same treatment administered to the seven other confirmed patients.

Amoth said the patients have been receiving monoclonal antibody treatment and have responded well, expressing optimism that the outbreak can be contained through prompt medical intervention and surveillance.

The latest infection comes a day after Kenya confirmed four additional cases, including a close male relative of the first patient and three health workers who attended to him while he was in hospital.

However, Amoth sought to reassure the public that the risk of community transmission from individuals who were later quarantined remained low, noting that they had not developed symptoms while in the community.

He urged Kenyans to rely on verified information from health authorities, warning that misinformation could undermine efforts to control the outbreak.

“Ebola is a serious, a fatal illness and highly transmissible, and therefore we need to be able to put everything in place to ensure that we quickly control the outbreak. This is a real problem,” he said.

Amoth cited experiences in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where denial of the outbreak and the handling of bodies from treatment facilities contributed to super-spreader events. He contrasted this with Uganda’s response, which he said demonstrated the importance of early intervention and adherence to public health measures.

The Health Director General added that Kenya had received support from international partners, including the World Health Organization, the United States government and Amref Health Africa, as authorities intensify efforts to contain the outbreak.

He said the government had developed a contingency plan estimated to cost about 20 million US dollars over three to six months, with the United States providing 14.5 million dollars through implementing partners.

Health officials continue to emphasise isolation, contact tracing and public cooperation as key measures in preventing further infections.

Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case on October 6, 2026. The patient is also the country's first fatality.