Kenya discharges last Ebola patient, aims for disease-free status by Dec 23

Kenya's Health Minister Aden Duale announced that the country has discharged its last Ebola patient from a Nairobi hospital, marking a significant step toward ending the outbreak, according to DW English and Al Jazeera English. The patient had 11 contact cases who will undergo 21 days of quarantine, with Kenya set to be declared Ebola-free on December 23 if no new symptoms arise.

The outbreak in Kenya involved nine confirmed cases, all linked to a single transmission cluster with no community transmission recorded, the Kenyan Ministry of Health stated, as reported by DW English. The first case was identified on October 6 in a man who had recently traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Uganda.

Health Minister Aden Duale emphasized that prevention measures will continue until the December 23 date is reached, according to Al Jazeera English. The government traced and monitored 135 contacts linked to the index case, successfully containing the outbreak within a defined group.

The Ebola outbreak in the region remains severe, with the DRC reporting over 11,000 cases and 5,387 deaths, making it the deadliest outbreak in the country, DW English and Al Jazeera English reported. The virus has also spread to Uganda and Nigeria through travelers from the DRC.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated Kenya's health workers and government for their preparedness and swift response, as noted by Al Jazeera English. Kenya faced travel restrictions during the outbreak, including an indefinite suspension of visas by Saudi Arabia.