The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Kenya has confirmed four new cases of Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus Disease), raising the total number of confirmed cases to seven, including the first patient, who died.
The Ministry of Health said the new cases are a close male relative of the deceased patient and three health workers who treated him in hospital. In a statement on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Director General for Health Patrick Amoth said all four patients developed fever as their first symptom before testing positive. The National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) laboratory both confirmed the results.
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“The patients are currently receiving supportive care from our trained health workers,” Amoth said. He added that the second and third patients are stable and responding well to treatment.
The health workers are two men and one woman, aged 29, 35 and 32, who attended to the first patient at the hospital between October 3 and 4, 2026. They had been in quarantine since October 9 and are being treated at the designated facility. The new male patient, a close relative of the deceased, had been in quarantine since October 6.
Amoth said that because all four were already in quarantine, they were diagnosed early, which limits the risk of further spread to their families and the wider community. “Since all the four new cases have been in quarantine, they were diagnosed early limiting risk of further spread of the disease,” he said. The ministry maintained that the risk to the general public remains low, with no evidence of community transmission.
The ministry said 128 of the 130 identified contacts, or 98.5 per cent, have been traced and quarantined. That is above the global benchmark of 85 per cent needed to break the chain of transmission, and efforts continue to trace the remaining two.
It cautioned that more cases could still emerge among people in quarantine before their 21-day monitoring period ends, but said anyone who develops symptoms will be detected and treated promptly. Health teams are also closely monitoring four family members of the deceased and all health workers who cared for him, and those in quarantine continue to receive mental and psychosocial support.
Amoth assured Kenyans that the country remains open for business, with no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings, and urged the public to stay calm and vigilant as the government works to contain the outbreak.
The ministry reiterated that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a sick or deceased person, not through the air. Anyone with fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding should go to the nearest health facility immediately.
Kenyans seeking information can call the Ministry of Health toll-free line on 719 or check its website and social media pages for updates. “Early reporting saves lives,” the ministry said.
