Kenya has confirmed an eighth Ebola infection after a 49-year-old hospital attendant tested positive for the virus, as health authorities across East Africa struggle to contain a worsening outbreak originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said on Sunday that the latest patient was among 38 people tested, with one returning a positive result.
The man, who was responsible for cleaning utensils and hospital linens, developed a fever, headache and muscle pain before being diagnosed.
Amoth said the patient was likely exposed to Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola case, involving a man who travelled from Congo to Nairobi and died at a hospital on October 5.
According to a Health Ministry source, the latest patient began experiencing symptoms on Saturday and was separated from others already under quarantine. Laboratory tests confirmed the infection on Sunday.
The new diagnosis follows Saturday’s confirmation of four additional infections, including three healthcare workers who treated the country’s first patient, raising Kenya’s total at the time to seven.
Health authorities have intensified surveillance, contact tracing and isolation measures in an effort to prevent further transmission. Officials have reported no evidence of wider community spread.
The rise in infections comes as Congo battles an expanding Ebola epidemic that has already crossed international borders.
Congolese authorities confirmed on Sunday that the outbreak had reached North Ubangi province, which borders the Central African Republic, making it the eighth province affected.
Two infections, including one death, were confirmed in North Ubangi, according to Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research.
The outbreak, involving the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has become the deadliest recorded in Congo, with more than 9,400 infections and 4,500 deaths reported since May.
The continued geographical spread has heightened concerns about the capacity of regional health systems to prevent further cross-border infections.
