Five patients who tested positive for Ebola in Kenya have recovered and been discharged from hospital, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday, in the most hopeful news since the country recorded its first cases of the deadly virus in October.

Two of the survivors were treated at Kenyatta National Hospital and three at The Nairobi Hospital. They were sent home after completing treatment, staying free of symptoms and returning negative laboratory tests that confirmed they had cleared the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

The numbers so far

Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases, all linked to the first imported case, according to the ministry. Two patients have died, a case fatality rate of 22.2 per cent.

  • 9 confirmed cases and 2 deaths
  • 5 patients recovered and discharged on November 3
  • 2 patients still in treatment, one at each of the two hospitals
  • 66 contacts released so far: 46 on Tuesday and 20 on October 25
  • 52 contacts still under observation, expected to leave quarantine by November 11

No new infection has been reported since October 19.

'Not the end itself'

Health Director General Dr Patrick Amoth, who gave the update on behalf of the ministry, said contacts who finish the 21-day monitoring period without symptoms "cannot transmit the disease and pose no risk to anyone."

The ministry, headed by Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, cautioned that the outbreak is not yet over. Once the last patient recovers, or is buried under public health protocols, Kenya will start a 42-day countdown, and the outbreak will be declared over only if no new case is recorded in that window.

"These milestones bring us closer to the end of the outbreak but are not the end itself," the ministry said.

Call to end stigma

Health officials urged families, neighbours and employers to welcome the survivors and released contacts without discrimination. The ministry said survivors and contacts will receive psychosocial support as they return to normal life.

Members of the public seeking help or wishing to report suspected cases can call the toll-free line 719, dial *719# or send a WhatsApp message to 0700 719 719.

The discharges come as Kenyans remain on edge over the wider regional outbreak, which has hit the Democratic Republic of Congo hardest, and as Saudi Arabia keeps travel restrictions that have left hundreds of Kenyan workers stranded.

Photos: Ministry of Health via Kenyans.co.ke (CS Aden Duale); Rotsee/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) (Kenyatta National Hospital). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.