Kenya discharges last Ebola patient, awaits disease-free status

What the report says

Kenya has discharged its last Ebola patient and started a 42-day monitoring period before it can be declared free of the disease, according to Health Minister Aden Duale. He announced the update at a news conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, more than five weeks after the country confirmed its first case on October 6. Duale said prevention measures will remain in place until December 23.

The Health Ministry said the outbreak has so far been contained because all nine confirmed cases were linked to the first patient’s contact list, with no evidence of wider community transmission. The last case was recorded on October 19. Al Jazeera reported that the first patient had travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo via Uganda and infected four family members and four healthcare workers. The first patient and his mother died, while the other seven patients recovered.

The outbreak has also affected Kenya beyond the health system, with travel restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia in late October. Kenya has tightened border screening, including thermal checks and health declaration forms for arrivals from affected countries. The government has also said citizens arriving from the DRC will face a 21-day quarantine.

The wider Ebola outbreak in the region remains severe, especially in the DRC, which is the epicentre of the current spread. Al Jazeera noted that Kenya’s response is being watched as a test of outbreak control and cross-border public health coordination.