Kenya is on course to be declared Ebola-free on December 23, 2026, if no new cases are reported during the 42-day monitoring period, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said.
This follows, recovery and discharge of all seven patients who tested positive for Ebola.
Speaking during a press briefing, Duale confirmed that the sixth patient was discharged on November 6, while the final patient was discharged Wednesday, November 11th noting that all identified contacts had completed their follow-up period.
“The milestone comes 37 days after Kenya confirmed its first imported case on 6th October 2026. Through strengthened surveillance and contact tracing, all 135 contacts linked to the index case were successfully traced and monitored. All nine confirmed cases remained within a single transmission cluster, with no community transmission recorded,” Duale noted.
Consequently, Duale said Kenya will maintain heightened surveillance during the 42-day Ebola countdown, with rapid response teams on alert across all counties, continued screening at points of entry and investigation of every alert.
“Let me be clear. The countdown is not the end of our response. During these 42 days, we will heighten vigilance and surveillance and our teams will still continue doing what they did during this period,” he said.
Adding that: “Our rapid response teams will remain on alert in every county across our country.
