Kenya recorded its third confirmed case of Ebola on Friday. The health ministry stated that the patient is a 65-year-old woman who is a close relative of the first and second cases.
She had been held in quarantine since October 6. Once she developed a fever, sore throat and malaise, health workers isolated her and collected a specimen for testing.
She tested positive for Ebola, according to the health ministry. Officials confirmed she was diagnosed early and is receiving supportive care.
The Kenyan cases tie back to the large Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That outbreak is the second-largest on record globally, with more than 9,000 cases and over 4,300 deaths since detection in May.
Kenya registered its first case last week. A Kenyan man fell ill in the Democratic Republic of the Congo about a month before traveling by road to Uganda. He flew to Nairobi on October 3, and a relative drove him straight to a hospital, where he died on October 5.
The health ministry issued a statement on X to reassure the public. Officials maintained that community spread has not occurred and the risk to the general public stays low.
Authorities listed 130 contacts linked to the outbreak. Out of those, 127 have been traced and placed in quarantine.
Controlling the outbreak is difficult because the Bundibugyo strain lacks a licensed vaccine. Research continues to develop an effective vaccine against this strain, and some candidates are undergoing early phases of testing in humans.
Separately, health authorities in the region raised concerns over financial transparency. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and Congolese health officials called for greater clarity on how Ebola response funds are spent.
Dr Jean Kaseya, the director general of the Africa CDC, stated that financial records from aid organisations show more than 700 million dollars of donor money remains unaccounted for.
