Kenya Starts 42-Day Countdown After Final Ebola Discharge

Kenya discharged its final Ebola patient on November 11, beginning a 42-day countdown that could allow authorities to declare the outbreak over if no new infections are detected. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the period is expected to end on December 23; Kenya has not yet been declared Ebola-free.

The Health Ministry counts nine confirmed cases and two deaths. Seven patients recovered, and the final patient was discharged from hospital, Duale announced. The ministry said the last new case was confirmed on October 19. The 42-day period is twice the longest incubation period cited for the virus, and a new case before it ends would prevent the current countdown from establishing that the outbreak is over.

Kenya’s authorities had identified 135 contacts connected to the outbreak. Duale said all had completed 21 days of monitoring. The Associated Press reported that the first patient had travelled from Congo through Uganda and that cases subsequently included four family members and four health workers. The ministry’s figures, as reported by The Rio Times, link all nine confirmed cases to one imported infection.

Duale said Kenya would continue screening at all 26 points of...