Kenya confirms eighth Ebola case amid widening regional outbreak

By AFP, AP and Reuters. Published On 19 Oct 202619 Oct 2026.

Key points

• Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth informed Kenya's Citizen TV that of the 38 residents tested on Sunday, one had returned a positive result.
• The DRC has recorded at least 9, 400 cases, including more than 4, 500 deaths, in the deadliest outbreak in the country's history.
• Neighbouring Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, including 15 imported from the DRC, and two deaths, before it was declared Ebola-free in August.
• Kenyan health authorities say an eighth Ebola case has been detected, bringing the total number of known infections in the East African nation to eight.
• Amoth remarked the man, who worked as a patient attendant cleaning utensils and linens, was probable exposed to Kenya's first Ebola case, discovered earlier this month.

"He is a 49-year-old man who is not a healthcare worker. He developed fever, headache and muscle pain, " he remarked.

He developed symptoms on Saturday, was quarantined and tested for the virus, a Ministry of Health source remarked.

Notably, the ministry documented four new cases on Saturday, three of whom were health workers who treated the country's first Ebola patient, a man who travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Nairobi and died at a Nairobi hospital on October 5.

In a post on X, the ministry remarked the fourth person was related to the deceased patient.

As the Ebola outbreak has spilled throughout the border from the DRC, kenya has been on heightened alert. The current outbreak is of the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment.

Meanwhile, the DRC has recorded at least 9, 400 cases, including more than 4, 500 deaths, in the deadliest outbreak in the country's history. It began in May.

Ituri province in eastern DRC remains the disease's epicentre, accounting for almost three quarters of confirmed cases, according to the government's most recent data. It confirmed on Sunday that the virus has reached an eighth province, North Ubangi.

State-run news agency ACP documented on Sunday that authorities in North Kivu province, where the World Health Organization stated substantial transmission continues, are introducing a one-week ban from Monday on individuals entering the province from Ituri in a bid to slow the spread.

Other measures set to be introduced include restrictions on passenger numbers in cars and on motorbikes and suspension of sizeable public gatherings.

Taken together, the developments around kenya confirms eighth Ebola case amid widening regional outbreak point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.