The Kenyan government has confirmed four new cases of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to seven.
Kenya’s Ministry of Health, in a statement on X on Saturday, said three of the new cases were among health workers who treated the country’s first patient.
The ministry noted that the fourth case was a relative of the same patient, who died from the disease, adding that the relative had been quarantined.
“The Ministry of Health has confirmed four new Ebola cases, bringing the total to seven, including one death. All four were in quarantine when they developed symptoms and were quickly isolated. There is no evidence of community transmission, and contact tracing is ongoing,” the statement read.
The ministry noted that the third and fourth patients were stable and responding well to supportive treatment.
“Since all the four cases have been in quarantine, they were diagnosed early limiting risk of further spread of the disease, to their families and the general community improving their chances of survival and protecting the general public from exposure,” the statement added.
The ministry assured Kenyans that the risk to the general public remained low, as there was no evidence of community transmission, and urged citizens to remain calm and vigilant.
“The ministry will share updates on progress of all reported cases,” it noted.
The development came a day after Kenya confirmed three cases in the country. Kenya’s cases were linked to the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), which has recorded more than 9,000 cases and more than 4,300 deaths since the outbreak was officially detected in May.
The country’s index patient died on October 5 after falling ill in the DRC for a month.