Kenya's Ebola cases increased to eight on Sunday after another person, identified as a contact of the first patient, tested positive while in quarantine.

Health Ministry Director-General Dr Patrick Amoth said the latest case involved a 49-year-old patient attendant who had cared for the first Ebola patient. The initial patient died at Nairobi Hospital on October 5, two days after arriving in Kenya from Congo via Uganda.

Amoth said people in quarantine were being tested after developing symptoms. He added that the other six patients were in stable condition after receiving supportive treatment.

Authorities identified around 130 contacts, including health workers, following the death of the first patient on October 5. Of them, 128 remain in quarantine.

Ebola is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood and vomit, or through contaminated materials and surfaces such as bedding and clothing. Congo has been facing its deadliest outbreak, with at least 4,000 deaths since May.

Kenya's first case involved a 40-year-old Kenyan man who travelled from Congo through Uganda and arrived in the country on October 3. A relative took him to hospital, where he died on October 5.

Three of his close relatives have since tested positive for the virus. Three health workers have also contracted Ebola.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Tanzania has tightened border screening measures and introduced mandatory health declarations and 21-day monitoring for travellers arriving from high-risk countries.

Kenya's initial case exposed gaps in screening at border checkpoints. Authorities have since strengthened screening measures and established an emergency hotline for people who suspect they may have come into contact with an Ebola patient or develop symptoms.

The country has also designated a gate at Nairobi's main airport for all flights arriving from 10 countries identified as being at the centre of the Ebola outbreak.