What changed
Kenya discharged its seventh and final confirmed Ebola patient on November 11, after the sixth patient left care on November 6. The country has now begun a 42-day countdown toward a possible Ebola-free declaration on December 23, provided no new cases emerge.
Why it matters
The crisis has moved from treating patients to proving that transmission has stopped. All identified contacts have completed follow-up, but Kenya will keep rapid-response teams on alert in every county, screen people at points of entry and investigate every alert.
That makes the next six weeks a test of vigilance, not a victory lap. Returnees from Ebola-affected areas, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo, are expected to complete arrival screening and 21 days of follow-up.
Kenya also says it will not become a waiting room for other countries’ travel rules. Its Health Ministry will not issue Ebola-free or quarantine certificates for travel, and the government is urging countries that imposed restrictions after the outbreak to lift them. Whether that happens, and whether Kenya reaches December 23 without a new case, remains unsettled.
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