NAIROBI, Kenya- Eight surviving Ebola patients in Kenya are improving, while health authorities say they have traced and quarantined 134 of 135 identified contacts linked to the country’s nine confirmed cases.
Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth said all nine cases belong to one cluster and there is no evidence the virus has spread beyond the group.
He also said no infections have been reported within quarantine facilities and that health workers caring for patients are fully protected.
The Ministry of Health urged people seeking guidance to call 719 and follow official updates.
The ninth case was confirmed on Tuesday, October 20.
The patient, a close relative of Kenya’s first case, was already in quarantine when he tested positive.
The first patient, who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Uganda, died in a Nairobi hospital on October 5.
The other eight patients are now responding to treatment, according to Amoth.
Contact tracing and quarantine
Contact tracing involves identifying people who may have been exposed to an infected person, monitoring their health and isolating them if they develop symptoms.
Authorities have identified 135 contacts so far, with one yet to be traced and placed in quarantine.
The contact count may change as health teams continue their investigations.
The Ministry has said people who have been identified as contacts are being monitored during the period when symptoms could develop.
Ebola’s incubation period, the time between infection and the start of symptoms, can range from two to 21 days.
The virus spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or with materials contaminated by those fluids.
A person infected with Ebola cannot transmit it before symptoms develop, according to the World Health Organization.
Quarantine allows health workers to monitor people who may have been exposed during that period and separate anyone who becomes unwell for testing and care.
Amoth’s assurance that there has been no infection spread inside quarantine facilities addresses concerns about risks to patients, staff and other people at the sites.
The Ministry has repeatedly said the Kenyan cases are linked to the first patient and that there is no evidence of transmission outside the cluster.
That does not mean there are no Ebola cases in the country: nine have been confirmed, including the first patient who died.
It means authorities have not identified a wider chain of infection beyond people linked to the known group.
Public urged to follow official guidance
The health update comes as the outbreak in the DRC continues to require regional surveillance and response measures.
Kenya’s first case involved a man who had been living in the DRC before travelling to Nairobi through Uganda.
The Ministry has since expanded contact tracing and monitoring around the linked cases.
Members of the public are being urged to seek medical help promptly if they become unwell, particularly if they believe they may have been in contact with someone who has Ebola.
Early symptoms can include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, according to WHO guidance.
Health officials have asked Kenyans to rely on official updates and avoid spreading unverified information about the outbreak.
