The second-to-last Ebola patient has been discharged after recovering from the virus, Health Director General Patrick Amoth has announced, leaving only one patient under care.
The male patient was discharged on Friday, November 6, after testing negative and meeting all the criteria for release, exactly a month after the first case was reported.
“Only one patient remains under care and continues to receive treatment and close monitoring,” the Ministry said.
The latest recovery comes as 66 contacts have completed their mandatory 21-day monitoring period and returned home, while another 52 are expected to complete quarantine by November 11.
Amoth attributed the progress to early identification and isolation of cases, contact tracing, treatment and infection prevention measures, saying every person who developed the disease after the initial case had already been under quarantine.
“Every person who fell ill after the first case was already under quarantine, which meant the virus had nowhere to go,” the Ministry said.
Kenya is, however, yet to be declared Ebola-free. The Ministry said the country must first wait for the remaining patient to recover and leave the treatment centre before the countdown to ending the outbreak can begin.
Once the last patient is discharged after testing negative, Kenya will enter a 42-day observation period, equivalent to twice the maximum incubation period of the virus. The outbreak will only be declared over if no new infections are reported during that period.
Despite the progress, the Ministry cautioned against complacency, noting that Ebola remains active in the region and that infections in neighbouring countries could pose a risk to Kenya.
It said screening would continue at all 26 points of entry, where more than 760,000 travellers have so far been screened. Emergency operations centres and rapid response teams will also remain on alert across the counties.
Travellers have been urged to complete the electronic traveller surveillance form on the UHAI Chatbot before arrival, declare any symptoms and report illness within 21 days of entering the country.
The Ministry also urged health workers to routinely establish patients' travel and contact histories, particularly those presenting with fever, while maintaining infection prevention and control measures.
It further called on Kenyans to seek medical attention early when experiencing symptoms such as fever, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, and to avoid contact with the bodily fluids of suspected cases.
