Kenya's Ministry of Health has confirmed that the country's Ebola cases remain at nine, with five patients having been discharged after recovering from the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. The patients, all men, were being treated at Kenyatta National Hospital and The Nairobi Hospital. Laboratory tests confirmed that they had cleared the virus and were free of symptoms.
In addition to the discharged patients, 66 contacts of the infected individuals have been cleared from quarantine, with 46 more contacts completing their 21-day monitoring period and returning home on Tuesday, November 3. This brings the total number of people released from quarantine to 66, following the discharge of the first 20 contacts on October 25.
According to the Ministry of Health, a further 52 contacts remain under monitoring and are expected to complete their 21-day observation period by November 11, provided they remain symptom-free. The Ministry has stated that all patients and contacts are released only after meeting established public health criteria and will receive psychosocial support.
The Ministry has urged families, employers, and communities to welcome those released from quarantine without discrimination or stigma. Kenya's Ebola outbreak began on October 6, 2026, when a Kenyan man who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The patient had traveled from the DRC to Nairobi, where he was isolated and later died on October 5. Eight additional infections were subsequently reported between October 14 and October 20, bringing the country's total to nine confirmed cases. The World Health Organization has reported that the secondary infections involved four family members and four health and care workers linked to the initial patient.
Two of the nine patients have died, translating to a case fatality rate of 22.2 percent. The Ministry has stated that no new infections have been recorded since October 19, with all confirmed cases belonging to one cluster and no evidence of community transmission. Contact tracing initially identified 118 people for monitoring.
The Ministry has addressed travel measures recently announced by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, saying Kenya had shared its outbreak data through International Health Regulations channels and requested the scientific and public health justification for the restrictions. The Ministry has maintained that Kenya remains open for business, with no domestic restrictions on travel, trade, or public gatherings.
Key points
- The Ministry of Health has confirmed that Kenya's Ebola cases remain at nine, with five patients having been discharged after recovering from the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
- A total of 66 contacts of the infected individuals have been cleared from quarantine, with 52 more contacts still under monitoring.
- The Ministry has urged families, employers, and communities to welcome those released from quarantine without discrimination or stigma.
