Trending 
The United States has raised its travel advisory for Kenya after the East African country confirmed an eighth Ebola case, advising American citizens to reconsider travel because of health and security risks.
The US Embassy in Kenya said on Tuesday that the advisory had been raised from Level 2 to Level 3 following the latest developments in the country’s Ebola outbreak.
“The level was changed from Level 2 to Level 3 due to health risks,” the embassy said, citing health concerns alongside crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and road safety.
Kenya confirmed its first-ever Ebola case on October 6 after a businessman in his forties, who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, returned to the country. He travelled through Uganda by road and air before reaching Kenya and later died in Nairobi on October 5.
Health authorities have since confirmed seven additional cases. Those affected include relatives of the first patient, healthcare workers who treated him and a member of the medical support team.
Kenya’s Ministry of Health said the seven patients were in quarantine and in stable condition. Officials also identified 130 people who had contact with confirmed cases, traced 128, and quarantined them as part of efforts to limit transmission.
The outbreak has also continued to affect the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 9,000 Ebola cases have been recorded. Congolese health authorities reported 4,381 deaths linked to the epidemic.
The revised US travel advisory places additional attention on Kenya’s response as health officials continue contact tracing, quarantine measures, and surveillance following the country’s first recorded Ebola outbreak.
