Kenya: 46 Ebola Contacts Set for Release As Kenya Moves Closer to Containing Outbreak

What the report says

Kenya is preparing to release 46 people who had been quarantined after exposure to Ebola patients, according to Capital FM’s report distributed by AllAfrica. Health Director-General Patrick Amoth said the country has traced all 135 contacts linked to the initial case and is releasing them in stages after the required 21-day monitoring period.

The latest group follows the discharge of 20 contacts on October 26, bringing the total released so far to 66. Another 52 people remain under observation. The report says nine contacts are outside Kenya and that health officials have informed the relevant authorities in line with international health regulations.

Kenya confirmed its first case of Bundibugyo virus disease on October 6 after a man who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda tested positive. The man died the previous day, and eight additional infections were later confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to nine, with two deaths reported. The article says no new confirmed infections have been recorded since October 20 and that authorities have not seen evidence of spread beyond the original cluster.

The government has intensified surveillance at airports and land borders, expanded laboratory testing, and designated several hospitals to handle patients in isolation. The report says the World Health Organization and Kenyan health agencies are supporting the response. Health officials are urging the public to report suspected cases quickly and cooperate with tracing efforts, while noting that the outbreak can only be declared over after 42 days without a new case under WHO rules.