Nairobi, Kenya (ANTARA) \u2014 Kenya confirmed four new Ebola cases on\nSaturday (17 October), including three healthcare workers who treated\nthe country\u2019s first patient, bringing the total number of infections in\nthe country to seven, according to the Ministry of Health.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ministry of Health confirms four new cases of Ebola (Bundibugyo\nvirus disease). This brings the total number of confirmed cases to\nseven, including the first case, which was fatal,\u201d Director-General of\nHealth Patrick Amoth said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The new cases involve three medical workers: two men aged 29 and 35,\nand a 32-year-old woman. They treated the first patient on 3\u20134\nOctober.<\/p>\n
The fourth patient is a male relative of the first person to die from\nthe disease. The ministry said he had been in quarantine since 6\nOctober.<\/p>\n
Amoth said all four patients developed fevers while in quarantine and\nwere promptly isolated. Laboratory tests confirmed they had been\ninfected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.<\/p>\n
The infections were confirmed by the National Public Health\nLaboratory\u2019s Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical\nResearch Institute.<\/p>\n
The four patients are receiving supportive care from trained\nhealthcare workers. The ministry reported that the second and third\npatients were in stable condition and responding well to treatment.<\/p>\n
Health authorities said identifying the four cases among people\nalready in quarantine helped reduce the risk of further\ntransmission.<\/p>\n
The ministry said 128 of the 130 people identified as close contacts,\nor 98.5 per cent, had been traced and placed in quarantine. Efforts are\ncontinuing to locate the remaining two.<\/p>\n
Amoth said there was no evidence of community transmission and\nstressed that the risk to the general public remained low.<\/p>\n
The ministry is also monitoring four relatives who had cared for the\nfirst patient while he was in hospital.<\/p>\n
Despite the increase in infections, Kenya has not imposed\nrestrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings. Authorities said\nbusiness activity in the country was continuing as usual.<\/p>\n
The first confirmed patient had previously lived in the Democratic\nRepublic of the Congo before travelling through Uganda and arriving in\nNairobi on 3 October. He died two days later.<\/p>\n
The cases have raised concerns about the potential spread of Ebola in\nEast Africa, particularly given population mobility between Kenya,\nUganda and the Congo.<\/p>\n
Congolese health authorities reported more than 9,000 Ebola\ninfections and over 4,000 deaths as of 14 October. Data attributed to\nthe European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) identifies\nthe outbreak as the second-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded.<\/p>\n
Health authorities across the region are continuing to monitor the\nrisk of cross-border transmission, while Kenya steps up contact tracing\nand surveillance to contain the latest cases.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kenya-detects-four-new-ebola-cases-public-risk-deemed-low-1792295444", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }