Kenya has released its last Ebola patient and begun a 42-day countdown that, if no new infection is confirmed, would allow the country to be declared free of the disease by December 23. Health Minister Aden Duale announced the milestone at a news conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, more than five weeks after Kenya recorded its first imported case on October 6. The decision follows a containment effort that traced all confirmed infections to a single contact list, with officials saying the outbreak did not move into the wider community.
Key Takeaways: Kenya’s nine confirmed Ebola cases were all linked to the first patient’s contact list, and the last case was recorded on October 19; the first patient and his mother died while seven other patients recovered. Authorities identified 135 contacts and said prevention measures would remain in place until the December 23 deadline. The regional outbreak remains severe, with the DRC reporting 11,042 infections and 5,387 deaths as of Wednesday.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola and has been described as one of the worst outbreaks on record. Kenya’s first patient travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda and transmitted the virus to four family members and four healthcare workers, according to health officials. The imported case also carried economic consequences beyond the health system: Saudi Arabia announced an indefinite suspension of visas on October 30, a decision that affected hundreds of Kenyan workers travelling to the Gulf for employment, particularly as domestic and hotel workers. The regional picture remains worrying, with infections also spreading to Uganda and Nigeria through people who travelled from the DRC.
Duale said Kenya would continue to exercise prevention measures until the December 23 date is reached. The Ministry of Health urged Saudi Arabia to reconsider the travel restrictions, explaining that Kenya’s first Ebola case was imported and that all subsequent cases were traced to the initial patient’s contact list in line with established outbreak-control guidelines. Kenya has tightened border controls, designating a specific gate at the country’s main airport for passengers travelling from 10 countries that have reported Ebola cases or border those with active cases. Passengers are being screened using thermal technology, and all new arrivals fill a health declaration form providing travel and health information. Duale added that citizens arriving from the DRC will now undergo a 21-day quarantine.
Kenya’s countdown is therefore cautious rather than a final all-clear. If a new case is confirmed before December 23, the clock would be reset, and the country would need to repeat its contact-tracing and isolation procedures. Health officials will keep monitoring the 135 identified contacts, maintain airport screening and enforce the new quarantine rule for arrivals from the DRC. The next major test is the December 23 deadline, when Kenya hopes to be declared Ebola-free; until then, the travel restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia and the wider regional outbreak will remain central to the country’s public-health and economic outlook.
Source: www.aljazeera.com