Kenya confirmed an eighth case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease on Sunday, October 18, two weeks after the outbreak was declared in the country. Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth said the latest patient is a 49-year-old man who worked as a patient attendant. He developed fever, headache and muscle pain while already in quarantine and tested positive after exposure to Kenya’s first case, the official said. ALSO READ: Kenya confirms second case of Ebola virus He is now been isolated and we are preparing to be able to start the compassionate treatment that we have administered to all the seven other persons, Amoth told Citizen TV Kenya on Sunday. All of them, I can confirm categorically that they have received monoclonal antibody. The official added that Rwanda had sent a shipment of medicines, which would be deployed. ALSO READ: Rwanda on alert as Ebola outbreak is declared global emergency He said the patients who had received monoclonal antibody were responding very, very well. We are cautiously optimistic that everything will turn out well, he added. On Saturday, health authorities confirmed four new Ebola cases - the largest number announced in one day since the country's first case was confirmed on October 6. The index patient was a 40-year-old Kenyan who had lived in DR Congo for seven years arrived in Nairobi on 3 October via Uganda. He died on 5 October. Subsequent cases include close relatives of the first patient and health workers who treated him. All later infections were detected among people already under quarantine, health officials said. Authorities report no evidence of community transmission. Nearly all of the roughly 130 identified contacts have been traced and placed in quarantine. The Ministry of Health states the risk to the general public remains low. The Kenyan government has imposed no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings. The cases are linked to DR Congo’s major Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, declared in May 2026. It has recorded over 9,000 confirmed cases and more than 4,300 deaths, the country’s largest and deadliest, with no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain.
