Kenya discharges last patient, begins 42-day countdown to Ebola-Free status

Kenya has discharged its last Ebola patient, beginning a 42-day countdown to being declared free of the disease.

Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale announced the development in Nairobi on Wednesday, more than five weeks after the country recorded its first case on October 6.

Duale said prevention measures will remain in place until December 23, when the countdown ends.

Health officials say the outbreak is under control. All nine confirmed cases were linked to the first patient’s contact list, with no evidence of community transmission. The last case was recorded on October 19.

The first patient travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda. He infected four family members and four healthcare workers.

He and his mother died from the virus. The other seven patients have fully recovered. The government traced 135 contacts linked to the first patient.

In the DRC, the epicentre of the outbreak, 11,042 people have been infected and 5,387 have died, according to figures released on Wednesday.

The outbreak has also spread to Uganda and Nigeria through travellers from the DRC. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

Kenya has faced travel restrictions since the outbreak, with Saudi Arabia suspending visas indefinitely on October 30, affecting hundreds of Kenyan workers heading to the Gulf.

The Ministry of Health has urged Saudi Arabia to reconsider, saying the first case was imported and all contacts were traced.

Kenya has tightened border controls, with dedicated screening for passengers from 10 countries that have reported cases or border affected countries.

Duale also said Kenyans arriving from the DRC will now undergo a 21-day quarantine.