Kenya has confirmed a third case of Ebola after a 65-year-old woman tested positive while in quarantine. The woman is a close relative of Kenya’s first confirmed patient, a 40-year-old who died from Ebola on 5 October, two days after arriving in Kenya from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Associated Press (AP) reported that the woman had been in quarantine since 6 October and developed symptoms before testing positive.
She has since been transferred to an infectious disease unit for treatment. The second patient, a 39-year-old man from the same family, remains stable, according to Kenya’s Ministry of Health. The ministry said there was no evidence of community transmission, as all three cases were linked to the first patient and the individuals had been in quarantine.
The development comes as Nigeria continues to monitor the regional outbreak and strengthen preparedness against possible importation of the virus. PREMIUM TIMES reported on 7 October that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) was reviewing the country’s preparedness after Kenya confirmed its first imported case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
In a statement issued on 6 October, the NCDC said the case highlighted the risk of international importation through travel and population movement, including the possibility of the virus entering Nigeria. The agency said it was working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Port Health Services, state governments and other partners to strengthen surveillance, early detection, laboratory diagnosis, isolation, contact tracing and infection prevention.
It also said Nigeria conducted a national Ebola preparedness simulation exercise to assess its readiness to respond to a possible case. As of 6 October, the NCDC said Nigeria had no confirmed Ebola case.