Kenya confirms second Ebola case as relative of country's first victim

Kenya confirms second Ebola case as relative of country's first victim

The Ebola virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit

Kenya has confirmed a second Ebola case, 10 days after a businessman died from the virus after travelling to the East African country from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The new patient, a 39-year-old man, is a close relative of the first case and was already in quarantine when he became ill on Tuesday, Kenya's health ministry said.

The incubation period for Ebola is between two and 21 days, which means people exposed to the virus may not fall ill for several weeks.

The ministry said spotting his illness early had improved his chances of recovery and reduced the risk of him spreading the virus to others, while urging the public to "stay calm but vigilant".

"Both cases are linked, and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community," the ministry added.

The 40-year-old Kenyan man who died on 5 October was diagnosed with Ebola soon after being admitted to hospital in the capital, Nairobi.

A relative had taken him there shortly after collecting him from the airport. He had travelled from DR Congo, through Uganda to Kenya without his illness being detected.

Since his death, officials had established that he had been in contact with 128 people - and by Tuesday 113 of them had been located, the health ministry said.

Of those, 108 were in quarantine in Kenya and tracing of the remaining 15 was continuing, it said.

More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola in DR Congo this year, in what is the second most deadly known outbreak to date.

The Ebola virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.

The current outbreak in DR Congo, which began in May, has been caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which is relatively rare, with no approved vaccine or treatment - though trials are under way.