Kenya sends home first 20 Ebola contacts after 21 days without symptoms


A man in a blue vest speaks with a woman in a Ministry of Health safety vest at a screening desk at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Officials during a port health readiness assessment for Ebola at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, in a photo released October 27, 2026. Photo: IOM Kenya via X

Kenya has sent home the first 20 people monitored as Ebola contacts after they completed 21 days without symptoms, the Ministry of Health said, while 98 others remain under monitoring.

"This is a milestone worth celebrating, and a clear sign that early identification, quarantine and close monitoring are working," the Director General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, said in a press release on Monday. "It is also a reminder that the work is not yet done." The remaining 98 contacts are expected to be released in four waves beginning November 3, depending on individual health assessments, he said.

The number of confirmed cases remains nine, the ministry said. Two of the patients have died, giving a case fatality rate of 22.2 percent, and the other seven are stable in treatment units. Genomic sequencing of three of the nine samples showed a genetic link to the first case and to the Bundibugyo virus lineage in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and sequencing of the other six is under way.

Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease on October 6. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain. Kenya is preparing to give the antiviral remdesivir to patients under a compassionate use program, and as of October 19 seven patients had received monoclonal antibodies sourced from Rwanda, the Taifa Times reported, citing Amoth.

Amoth asked Kenyans to receive the released contacts without fear. "They do not pose any risk to their families, colleagues or neighbors, and we ask communities to welcome them back home warmly," he said. The ministry said it is giving mental health and psychosocial support to people in quarantine, those going home, patients and their families, and health workers on the front line.

The ministry warned against relaxing too early. The outbreak will be declared over only after 42 days, a count that starts when the last confirmed patient has had two negative tests at least 48 hours apart and has been discharged or safely buried. "We cannot afford to drop our vigilance until we reach that point," Amoth said. Travel, trade and public gatherings are not restricted, and anyone with fever, unusual tiredness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea or unexplained bleeding, especially after contact with a case or travel to Congo, should seek care quickly, the ministry said.

Screening continues at points of entry. The International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday that it had carried out a port health readiness assessment at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to strengthen disease surveillance and Ebola preparedness for travelers and frontline staff. The Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, said on Sunday that more than 4,900 health workers have been trained on Ebola and thanked the United States Government and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their support. He said the World Health Organization advises against closing borders.

The UN's official Swahili news account, @HabarizaUN, wrote on Tuesday that 20 people who had contact with the first Bundibugyo patient "have been released from quarantine and reunited with their families after completing the mandatory 21-day follow-up period."

The World Health Organization said in a statement that all 135 contacts linked to the cases had been traced, in Kenya and abroad, by October 22, and that all nine confirmed cases belong to one connected group, with no evidence that the virus has spread in the community. The UN, through the Kenya Humanitarian Fund managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has allocated 259 million Kenyan shillings for Ebola preparedness and response, including border surveillance and rapid response teams, Radio Generation reported on Wednesday.

The wider outbreak is still growing. Congo's Ministry of Public Health has reported 10,060 confirmed cases and 4,887 deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15, making it the fastest growing Ebola outbreak in the country's history, Al Jazeera reported.

Sources

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *