Kenya has eight Ebola cases; regional outbreak tops 9,000 infections, Guardian says

Kenya has confirmed eight Ebola cases. A senior Kenyan health official gave the figure, according to Deutsche Welle. Al Jazeera reports that authorities say the eighth patient was likely exposed to the country's first case.

The Guardian reports the regional outbreak has killed more than 4,300 people and infected more than 9,000. It calls it the second-largest on record. Deutsche Welle reports the disease has spread to an eighth province in DR Congo.

The first case was a man who travelled to Kenya from DR Congo. France 24 reports he died in a Nairobi hospital on October 5. The second case, a 39-year-old man from the same family, fell ill while already in quarantine, the health ministry said. The third was a 65-year-old woman, also in quarantine. Al Jazeera reports she has the Bundibugyo strain.

On October 17, Al Jazeera reported four more confirmed cases, bringing the total to seven. Three of them were health workers who treated the first patient.

When the third case was announced, the ministry said there was no sign of community transmission because both relatives were in quarantine. France 24 reported at that point that three contacts had not yet been traced. That was before the health worker cases were confirmed.

The Guardian also reports opposition in Kenya to a US-led quarantine center. It links this to US funding cuts, withdrawal from the WHO and a travel ban on people from certain countries. The Guardian says these moves have weakened the outbreak response and increased mistrust.