Two of the seven patients currently in isolation in Kenya following the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak have tested negative, offering renewed hope in the country’s efforts to contain the disease.
Ministry of Health Director General Dr Patrick Amoth confirmed that the two patients are awaiting a second test after 72 hours to establish whether they have fully cleared the virus.
The remaining five patients are reported to be in stable condition, while the country has recorded no new Ebola cases for three consecutive days.
Kenya has so far confirmed nine cases, all linked to a single transmission cluster, with two fatalities recorded, translating to a case fatality rate of 22.2 per cent.
The outbreak originated from a Kenyan man who travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Uganda before dying on October 5. Eight people were subsequently infected, including four family members and four healthcare workers who attended to him before Ebola was suspected.
Among the fatalities was a 65-year-old relative who died on October 23.
Dr Amoth said health authorities had not identified any transmission beyond the contacts already under surveillance, maintaining that there was no evidence of community transmission.
The Ministry of Health has traced all 135 contacts linked to the outbreak, including nine individuals outside Kenya. The respective countries were notified in accordance with the International Health Regulations.
Meanwhile, the first 20 contacts completed their mandatory 21-day monitoring period on Monday, October 26, and were released from quarantine.
A further 98 people remain in quarantine, with the remaining contacts expected to complete their monitoring and be released progressively from November 3.
“All our 135 contacts were traced, and those in Kenya have been followed up daily,” Dr Amoth said.
