Kenya goes 18 days without a new Ebola case
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Citizen Digital
Kenya has recorded no new Ebola cases for 18 days, while six of the nine confirmed patients have recovered. One patient remains hospitalised and 66 contacts have completed their 21-day monitoring period, according to Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth.
Kenya has recorded no new Ebola cases for 18 days, with the latest case confirmed on 19 October, the Ministry of Health said on Friday. The total remains at nine confirmed cases, including six recovered patients, while one patient remains under care and medical monitoring, according to Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth.
Sixty-six contacts have completed their mandatory 21-day monitoring period and returned home. Another 52 must complete their quarantine by 11 November, according to the Ministry of Health.
Kenya has not yet begun the countdown required to declare the end of the outbreak. A 42-day period without a new case must begin after the last patient leaves the treatment centre, Patrick Amoth said. This period corresponds to twice the disease's longest incubation period.
The government is also maintaining surveillance at the country's 26 points of entry. More than 760,000 travellers have already been screened there, according to the Ministry of Health. The ministry attributes the progress to early detection, isolation and treatment of patients, as well as contact tracing and monitoring.
The progress in the response follows the recovery of five patients and the release from quarantine of 46 contacts announced on 4 November. It follows the confirmation of a ninth Ebola case on 22 October, after which Kenya searched for a high-risk contact.
