// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Kenya discharges last Ebola patient in major milestone towards virus-free status
Kenya has reported no new confirmed cases since 20 October 2026
Kenya has discharged its last Ebola patient - the seventh to recover from the virus - marking a major milestone in efforts to contain the disease in the East African nation, which now begins a 42-day countdown to officially being declared Ebola-free.
It had confirmed its first ever case of Ebola early in October when a Kenyan businessman died within days of arriving in the capital, Nairobi.
He had contracted the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 5,000 people have died in an ongoing outbreak that began in May. His mother also subsequently died.
Kenya's health minister said 135 identified contacts of the infected patients had also completed their 21 days in isolation.
"Today with the discharge of the last patient we can confirm and tell the world that seven patients have recovered - and all contacts have completed their follow-up monitoring," Aden Duale said.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) described it as an important achievement in the regional response to the outbreak.
"This is an encouraging moment for Kenya and for Africa. We must sustain surveillance and vigilance until the outbreak is officially declared over," Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya posted on X.
What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult?
Kenya has reported no new confirmed cases since 20 October.