A 65-year-old woman in Kenya, a close contact of the first two cases, has tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, but authorities say there is no community transmission.
01Summary
- 01Kenya confirmed its third case of Bundibugyo virus disease on 16 October 2026, ten days after the first case was reported.
- 02The 65-year-old female patient had been in quarantine since 6 October and tested positive after developing fever, sore throat and malaise.
- 03All three Kenyan cases are linked to the DRC epidemic, which has recorded over 9,000 cases and more than 4,300 deaths since May.
- 04Of 130 listed contacts, 127 have been traced and are in quarantine; the health ministry says the risk to the public remains low.
- 05No licensed vaccine exists for the Bundibugyo strain, though early-stage human trials of potential vaccines are under way.
02Why it matters
This third case shows the Ebola outbreak is still spreading within known contact networks in Kenya, though the risk of wider community spread is currently assessed as low. The lack of a licensed vaccine for this strain makes containment efforts more challenging.
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