Ebola is spread through close physical contact with infected people/AFP

Kenyan health officials in Kakamega County, western Kenya, are investigating a suspected case of Ebola.

The patient had recently traveled to eastern Uganda to visit relatives, officials said.

Mumias West Disease Surveillance Coordinator Boaz Gichana said in a statement released on Friday that the patient is currently at St Mary Hospital isolation unit awaiting laboratory tests.

Last week, the Kenyan government issued an Ebola alert and called for screening of travelers at entry points on the border with Uganda following an outbreak in the neighboring country.

South Sudan and Tanzania also heightened surveillance, especially at their borders with Uganda, while Rwanda has begun screening travelers at the borders to prevent the cross-border spread of Ebola.

Last month, Kenya put health officials on the border on high alert after the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was investigating a suspected case of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

DRC then announced an Ebola outbreak and has this week announced an end to its 15th outbreak after no more new cases of the disease were reported for 42 days.

Uganda is currently battling a rise in infections and deaths caused by the Sudan strain of Ebola. This strain currently has no vaccine and health officials have urged residents to adhere to measures to prevent infection and spread of the virus.

Previous outbreaks and responses have shown that early diagnosis and treatment, optimised supportive care with fluid and electrolyte repletion, and treatment of symptoms, significantly improve survival rates of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease.

The disease is usually introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope or porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

It is transmitted from person to person through contact with body fluids.