The U.S. Department of State raised its travel advisory for Kenya to Level 3 on Oct. 19, asking Americans to reconsider trips as the country reported eight Ebola cases.
The department moved Kenya up from Level 2, which urges increased caution, and said health risks prompted the change. Its advisory also lists crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and traffic safety. It warns that medical services may be unavailable in rural areas, travelers could face medical evacuation costs and some areas carry separate warnings against travel.
Kenya had confirmed eight Bundibugyo Ebola cases as of Oct. 18. Director-General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth told Citizen Digital that the newest patient was a 49-year-old attendant who tested positive. The Associated Press reported that the attendant had been quarantined after being identified as a contact of the first patient.
Kenya’s first patient arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the wider outbreak is centered. The second patient was a relative who was in quarantine when Kenya confirmed the case Oct. 14, as EconoTimes previously reported.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Oct. 16 that it had found no evidence of community transmission in Kenya. WHO said exposed contacts were receiving daily symptom checks for 21 days and that contact tracing and quarantine would continue as monitoring periods ended.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a separate Level 1 notice for Ebola in Kenya. It recommends usual precautions, including staying away from people showing Ebola symptoms and fluids from their bodies. The CDC notice cites previous Bundibugyo outbreaks in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012.
