Kenya plans to release 46 Ebola contacts
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Capital FM
Kenya plans to release 46 people after 21 symptom-free days of monitoring, while five patients could be discharged after a second negative test. The releases would bring the number freed to 66, as the country records nine confirmed infections and two deaths, Capital FM reports.
The Kenyan government plans to release 46 people placed in quarantine after being identified as contacts of Ebola cases on Tuesday, if they remain asymptomatic at the end of 21 days of monitoring. Health Minister Aden Duale also said that five of the seven patients still receiving treatment could be discharged after a second negative test, scheduled for Monday 2 November, according to Capital FM.
These releases would add to the 20 contacts released on 26 October and bring the number of people discharged from quarantine to 66. Kenya’s Ministry of Health says it identified and monitored all 135 contacts linked to the initial imported case, of whom 118 were placed in quarantine. The country has recorded nine confirmed infections, including two deaths, and has reported no new cases since 19 October.
Nairobi is also stepping up its efforts to persuade Saudi Arabia to lift the travel and visa restrictions imposed on 30 October. Riyadh has banned its citizens from travelling to Kenya, suspended the issuance of visas to Kenyan travellers and barred entry to people arriving from Kenya, including after transiting through another country. Kenya says it is containing the outbreak and disputes the measures, according to the authorities, as part of the Saudi restrictions linked to Ebola.
