Kenya has discharged its last Ebola patient, bringing the number of people still receiving treatment for the disease to zero, 37 days after the country reported its first case.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale made the announcement on Wednesday, November 11, saying the last 11 people who had been in quarantine had also completed their monitoring period and returned home.
This leaves Kenya with no Ebola patient under treatment and no contact in quarantine for the first time since the outbreak was reported.
The last case was confirmed on October 19. Since then, the Ministry of Health has not recorded another infection.
Duale said seven patients had recovered from the disease, while two others died. Among those who contracted the virus were four family members of the first patient and four health workers who had attended to him before Ebola was suspected.
All eight were already in quarantine when they tested positive, a move that helped prevent the disease from spreading into the wider community.
The outbreak started in early October when a Kenyan national returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), travelling through Uganda. He later fell ill, sought medical attention and died from the infection.
Kenya reported its first case of Bundibugyo Virus Disease to the World Health Organization on October 6, within 24 hours of laboratory confirmation.
Health authorities then began tracing people who had been in contact with the patient. According to Duale, all 135 contacts were traced in Kenya and abroad, with those considered at risk placed under quarantine and monitored.
The first group completed its 21-day monitoring period on October 26. Five patients were discharged on November 3, while another was released on November 6.
With the last patient now discharged, attention shifts to the next 42 days, which will determine when Kenya can officially be declared free of the outbreak.
The countdown begins on Thursday, November 12. The period is twice the longest incubation period of the virus. If no new case is reported, Kenya is expected to receive the Ebola-free declaration on or around December 23.
However, the Ministry says it is not yet scaling down its response.
Rapid Response Teams will remain on alert across the counties, while health facilities and communities continue to be monitored for possible infections. Screening at points of entry will also continue during the period.
The Ministry will also follow up on patients who have recovered and review how the country handled the outbreak to identify areas that need improvement.
Duale said the risk of Ebola cases entering Kenya remains, as the outbreak in the DRC is still active.
The government is preparing new guidelines for Kenyans returning from the DRC and other affected areas. These will include a health declaration through the UHAI Chatbot before travel, screening on arrival and 21 days of quarantine, with health teams following up on those returning.
The Cabinet Secretary also took issue with countries that introduced travel and visa restrictions against Kenya following the outbreak.
He said Kenya had reported the cases openly and shared information as required under international health regulations, but some countries had responded by restricting Kenyan travellers.
Duale called on the affected jurisdictions to lift the measures, arguing that Kenya currently has no patient under treatment, no contacts in quarantine and no reported community transmission.
He further said Kenya would not keep travellers from other countries in quarantine to satisfy the entry requirements of their destinations. The Ministry will also not issue Ebola-free or quarantine certificates for travel purposes.
For now, the government says normal movement within the country will continue, with no restrictions on public gatherings, business, tourism or trade.
The Ministry has urged anyone experiencing fever, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly after travelling to an affected area, to seek medical attention early.
Members of the public can call 719 free of charge if they need assistance.
While the discharge of the last patient is a major step in containing the outbreak, Kenya will have to complete the 42-day monitoring period without recording another case before it can be officially declared Ebola-free.
