Kenya reports 4 new confirmed cases of Ebola; officials say there is no community transmission

(Central News Agency, Nairobi, Comprehensive Foreign News Report on the 17th) Kenya’s Ministry of Health confirmed today 4 new confirmed cases of Ebola, including another relative of the first deceased and 3 medical staff, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 7; officials reiterated that the risk to the public is still low and there is no evidence of community transmission.

Agence France-Presse reported that Kenya's Ministry of Health said it had confirmed four new Ebola cases, including another relative of the first victim and three medical staff who had treated the patient.

Kenya did not report its first Ebola case until the 6th, when a Kenyan man originally living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) died after returning to Kenya. Kenya has never reported a case of Ebola before.

The Democratic Republic of Congo declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in May, with more than 9,000 cases reported since then. The deadly disease has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.

Kenya's Ministry of Health "confirmed four new cases of Ebola" in a statement, bringing the total number of cases to seven, including the first death.

The Ministry of Health said that these four people "showed symptoms of fever" and were immediately isolated before being tested. The test results were positive.

The Ministry of Health stated: "The new cases include a male close relative of the deceased." The man has been under quarantine since the 6th.

The infected medical staff include two men aged 29 and 35 respectively, and a 32-year-old woman. They had taken care of the first patient and have been under quarantine since the 9th.

A statement from the Ministry of Health reiterated that "the risk to the general population remains low" and said there was "no evidence of community transmission".

The statement added that of the 130 contacts, 128 have been included in the tracing list and are in quarantine.

Uganda has recorded 20 infections, almost all of whom arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and two of them died. However, Uganda was declared Ebola-free in August.

The name of the first victim in Kenya has not been released, but it is understood to be a 40-year-old businessman. He became ill about a month ago and received treatment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He then traveled by land to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and flew to Nairobi on the 3rd. He died after receiving treatment there on the 5th.