Kenya has discharged its last Ebola patient, triggering a 42-day monitoring period before the country can officially be declared free of the disease, provided no new infections are detected.
Health Minister Aden Duale announced the development on Wednesday, confirming that the final patient had recovered and was released from hospital.
The country recorded nine Ebola infections during the outbreak, including the index case, who arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda in October.
The first patient and his mother died after contracting the virus, while the remaining seven infected persons recovered. Four of the confirmed cases involved healthcare workers.
Authorities also traced 135 people who had been in contact with infected individuals. All of them completed the mandatory monitoring period without developing the disease.
Duale explained that the 42-day countdown, which is twice the longest incubation period of the Ebola virus, would run until December 23, provided no additional cases are reported.
Although the discharge of the last patient marks a significant step in containing the outbreak, the government said it would continue surveillance and other preventive measures to prevent further transmission.
The development comes amid the wider Ebola outbreak in the region, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 11,000 infections and over 5,000 deaths have been reported.
