Kenya confirms eighth Ebola case as outbreak expands from Congo

Kenya confirmed an eighth case of Ebola on Sunday. According to reports from UPI and DW, Health Ministry Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth announced the diagnosis after tests were conducted on 38 people. DW reported that Dr. Amoth confirmed the positive result during an interview on Kenya's Citizen TV. [1][2]

UPI reported that the latest patient is a 49-year-old man who is not a healthcare worker. He tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which lacks an approved treatment or vaccine, and displayed symptoms including fever, headache, and muscle pain. Initial symptoms of the disease usually include high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, fatigue, and sore throat. [1][10]

The latest case follows a rapid rise in infections within the region. Before this month, Kenya had never recorded a case of the virus, as The New York Times reported. France 24, Al Jazeera, and The New York Times reported that the official count had previously reached seven cases after four new infections were confirmed on October 17. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Kenya recorded its first Ebola death after a patient traveled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda. [3][4][6][11][12]

The outbreak continues to expand in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. DW and NewsCord reported that the virus has now spread to an eighth province in the country, with NewsCord naming Nord-Ubangi as the newly affected area. [2][7]