Kenya has discharged five patients who recovered from Ebola after laboratory tests confirmed they had cleared the virus, marking progress in efforts to contain the outbreak.
The five men, treated at Kenyatta National Hospital and The Nairobi Hospital, were released on Tuesday, November 3, according to the Ministry of Health. Two other patients remain under treatment at the Nairobi hospitals.
Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases, including two deaths, with no new infections reported since October 19. Authorities say all confirmed cases are linked to a single infection cluster, with no evidence of community transmission.
The ministry also announced that 46 contacts of the first confirmed case had completed their monitoring period and been released from quarantine. They join 20 people discharged on October 26, bringing the total number of contacts released to 66.
A further 52 contacts remain in quarantine and are expected to complete their mandatory 21-day monitoring period by November 11, provided they remain symptom-free.
Health authorities are continuing contact tracing and surveillance as they seek to prevent further transmission. The outbreak will only be declared over after 42 days without new infections, beginning once the final patient has recovered or died.
The outbreak in Kenya followed the spread of Ebola from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an outbreak was declared in May. Its geographical spread across four African countries has raised wider concerns about cross-border surveillance and the detection of imported infections.
Despite the latest recoveries, Kenya’s health authorities have cautioned that the response is not over, with continued monitoring required until the outbreak is officially declared ended.
