Kenya's Ebola cases rise to seven; the four new patients were already in quarantine
Three health workers who treated the first patient and a relative of his have tested positive. The ministry says there is no sign of spread in the community.
Nairobi — Kenya has confirmed four more Ebola cases, bringing its total to seven, including the first patient, who died, The Standard reports. All four new patients were already in quarantine when they fell ill, which the Ministry of Health says allowed them to be diagnosed early.
Who the new cases are
- A close male relative of the first patient, in quarantine since 6 October
- Three health workers, two men and a woman, who cared for the first patient in hospital on 3 and 4 October and had been in quarantine since 9 October
Each developed a fever first and was isolated before samples were taken. The samples tested positive at the National Virology Reference Laboratory and at the Kenya Medical Research Institute. The four are receiving supportive care from trained staff at a designated treatment centre, and the second and third patients are stable and responding to treatment.
Contacts
Authorities have traced 128 of 130 known contacts and are still looking for the other two. The ministry says the risk to the public remains low and that there is no evidence of community transmission.
Source: The Standard, reporting by Esther Nyambura, 17 October 2026.
