Kenya’s Ministry of Health reported the country’s second Ebola death on Oct. 23, a 65-year-old woman, while seven of nine confirmed patients remained in care.
The World Health Organization (WHO) identified the woman as Kenya’s third confirmed case of Bundibugyo virus disease. The ministry said she began showing symptoms Oct. 13 during quarantine and was moved to an infectious disease unit that day. Seven other confirmed patients were being treated at two isolation facilities, the ministry said.
WHO said the woman was a close family member of Kenya’s first patient, a man who returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and died Oct. 5. The woman and another close relative were in quarantine before they developed symptoms, the agency said.
The ministry said its investigation had found cases among known contacts and no evidence of community spread. A ministry update dated Oct. 22 put the number of people traced at 135. The update follows EconoTimes’ earlier report on Kenya’s nine-case cluster.
The earliest monitored contacts were due to reach the end of their 21-day observation period on Sunday, Oct. 25. Those without symptoms could then leave quarantine, according to the ministry.
