NAIROBI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday confirmed the country's third case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease.
The patient, a 65-year-old woman, is a primary contact and a close relative of the first and second cases. She had been in quarantine since Oct. 6 and had developed a fever, sore throat and malaise, the ministry said.
She later tested positive for Ebola at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute laboratory.
"Having been in quarantine, she was diagnosed early and is currently receiving supportive care, improving her chances of recovery while limiting the risk of further spread of the disease," the ministry said.
The second patient remained in stable condition and was responding well to supportive care, the ministry added.
Reassuring the public, officials emphasized that the overall risk of Ebola transmission remained low, as there was currently no evidence of community transmission.
"Of the 130 contacts listed, 127 (97.7 percent) have been traced and are in quarantine. This is above the global benchmark of 85 percent required to break the chain of transmission," the ministry said, adding that health authorities are continuing efforts to trace and quarantine the three remaining contacts.
The ministry said additional cases among quarantined individuals remained possible until their monitoring period ended, but assured the public that any new cases would be swiftly detected and treated.
Kenya confirmed on Oct. 6 its first case of Ebola linked to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, involving an individual who boarded a commercial flight to Nairobi on Oct. 3. A family member then took him to hospital, where medical staff immediately placed him in isolation.
Despite receiving supportive care, the patient died on Oct. 5 and was buried the following day in accordance with the country's safe and dignified burial protocols for viral hemorrhagic fevers.
