Kenya releases final Ebola patient to start 42-day countdown

Kenya has sent home its final recovering Ebola patient, starting a six-week countdown toward being officially certified clear of the deadly virus.

The release of the patient brings the total number of recoveries in the country to seven, including four medical personnel. All traced infections were tied to a businessman who succumbed to the illness shortly after reaching Nairobi from the Democratic Republic of Congo via Uganda in early October. The man's mother also died from the virus, representing the nation's only two recorded fatalities.

Health authorities confirmed that 135 individuals who had contact with confirmed cases have concluded their required 21-day isolation periods without testing positive. No fresh infections have been registered across the country since October 20, according to health ministry figures, with no signs of wider spread in local communities.

Health Minister Aden Duale announced the clearance of the final patient and praised the completion of monitoring protocols for all known contacts. Regional health leaders welcomed the progress, with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention head Jean Kaseya describing the milestone as an encouraging step for the continent while urging continued vigilance.

Under World Health Organization rules, a nation must go 42 days—equivalent to two consecutive maximum incubation cycles—without any new infections following the release or safe burial of the final confirmed case before an outbreak can be declared finished. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with infected body fluids, carrying an incubation window ranging from two to 21 days.

Duale said heightened border screening, airport checks, and community health monitoring will remain active throughout the six-week period. Kenyans arriving from areas affected by the virus must submit electronic declaration forms, undergo medical evaluations upon entry, and isolate under supervision for three weeks.

The minister also appealed to foreign governments to roll back travel curbs placed on Kenyans during the outbreak. Several Gulf states had introduced entry limits, with Saudi Arabia halting visa issuance for Kenyan workers in late October. The United Arab Emirates previously eased restrictions on travelers from neighboring Uganda, which concluded its own outbreak in late August.

The broader regional crisis originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, where the rare Bundibugyo strain has claimed over 5,000 lives. There are currently no approved vaccines or targeted therapies for that specific variety of the virus, though experimental clinical trials continue.