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Kenya, November 11, 2026 - Kenya has discharged its last Ebola patient and released the final 11 people under monitoring, allowing the country to begin the 42-day countdown required before it can be declared free of the disease. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the milestone at Afya House on Wednesday.
The countdown begins on Thursday, November 12. If no new case is recorded during the period, Kenya expects to be declared Ebola-free on or about December 23, 2026.
The Ministry of Health discharged the final Ebola patient on Wednesday after the patient completed treatment and tested negative. It also released the last 11 contacts, who had completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms.
The move means Kenya no longer has any known active Ebola infections. It also completes the follow-up of all 135 people identified as contacts of the country’s first case.
Duale said the 42-day countdown would start on Thursday. The period is twice the longest known incubation period for Ebola , the time between exposure to the virus and the appearance of symptoms.
“If no new case is reported in that period, Kenya will be declared free of Ebola on December 23, 2026,” Duale said during the briefing.
Kenya’s outbreak began after an imported case arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda. The patient transmitted the virus to four family members and four healthcare workers, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to nine.
The outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick or has died from the disease; it does not spread through ordinary casual contact or through the air.
The Government declared Ebola a formidable epidemic disease and gazetted the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules. The rules provided the legal basis for containment measures, including contact tracing, quarantine, surveillance and clinical management.
Health authorities moved quickly to identify and monitor contacts. They traced all 135 people linked to the index case, including nine outside Kenya, and placed them under observation to prevent further transmission.
Kenya has recorded no new confirmed case for three consecutive weeks. The last case in the cluster was reported on October 20, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
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Five patients were discharged on November 3, while the sixth left treatment on November 6. The final patient was discharged on Wednesday, completing the clinical phase of the response.
All 135 contacts have completed the required 21-day monitoring period and been released. The Ministry says the outbreak remained confined to one transmission cluster, with no evidence of community transmission.
The Government will nonetheless maintain heightened surveillance during the countdown. Rapid Response Teams remain on alert, health facilities and communities will continue active surveillance, suspected cases will be investigated promptly, and screening will continue at points of entry.
The central test over the next 42 days is whether Kenya records no new confirmed Ebola case. If that condition holds, the country can be declared Ebola-free on December 23, 2026.
A new case before then would restart the countdown from the date of the most recent patient’s discharge or death, in line with standard outbreak-control practice. The Ministry has not indicated any change to its timeline, but officials have cautioned that the countdown does not mean the response is over.
Kenyans are being urged to remain vigilant, particularly anyone who has travelled to affected areas. The Ministry advises people who develop Ebola-like symptoms to seek medical care early and to call the toll-free 719 line for assistance.
Kenya remains open for business, tourism, trade and travel, with no restrictions on movement or public gatherings. Duale called on jurisdictions that imposed travel or visa restrictions on Kenya to review and lift them, arguing that transparent reporting and compliance with the International Health Regulations should not attract punitive measures.
The current outbreak is part of a wider regional emergency caused by the Bundibugyo virus. The outbreak began in May, and the number of cases across the affected region had surpassed 11,000 by the time Kenya discharged its final patient.
Kenya’s cases were linked to an imported infection rather than an independent local outbreak. That distinction matters because it allowed authorities to trace and monitor a defined network of contacts, rather than confront widespread community transmission.
The Government has acknowledged support from the World Health Organization, Africa CDC, IGAD, the United States and India, as well as public and private health facilities and county governments. Duale also recognised the cooperation of Kenyans in supporting contact tracing and containment.