Kenya has confirmed four new cases of Ebola, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to seven, including the death of the initial case, according to the Ministry of Health.

In a press statement dated October 17, 2026, Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth said the new cases involved a close male relative of the deceased index case and three health workers who had attended to the patient while he was hospitalised.

The three health workers — two men and one woman aged 29, 35 and 32 — became ill between October 3 and October 6, 2026. They were quarantined on October 9 and are receiving supportive care at a designated treatment facility.

The ministry said all four new cases had been isolated, and specimens were collected for testing at the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the KEMRI laboratory.

The patients were receiving supportive treatment, with the two health workers who were not among the three newly confirmed cases reported to be stable and responding well to treatment.

Authorities said the new cases had been detected while the patients were in quarantine, allowing for early intervention and reducing the risk of further transmission.

The ministry reported that 128 of the 130 identified contacts, representing 98.5 per cent, had been traced and placed in quarantine. This is above the global contact-tracing benchmark of 85 per cent, it said.

Efforts were continuing to trace the remaining two contacts, while the ministry was monitoring quarantined individuals for symptoms during a 21-day observation period.

The government said there was no evidence of community transmission and that the risk to the general public remained low.

It added that the country remained open for business, with no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings.

The ministry urged Kenyans to remain vigilant and seek medical attention if they developed symptoms including fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding.

It stressed that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected or deceased person, rather than through the air.

The ministry said it was also monitoring four family members of the deceased index case and all health workers who had contact with him during his hospital stay. Those in quarantine were receiving mental and psychosocial support.