Update: Kenya to Send 46 More Ebola Contacts Home Nov. 3 as Two Patients Test Negative
Health officials say the country has gone 10 days without a new infection, but the 42-day countdown to an Ebola-free declaration cannot start until all active infections clear.
See where this is ›NAIROBI, Kenya —
Forty-six people in Ebola quarantine in Kenya are due to finish monitoring and return home Nov. 3, Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said at the ninth meeting of the country's Ebola response task force on Oct. 30, Kenyans.co.ke reported. She said the rest could be released within the following two weeks, with the process expected to end by Nov. 11.
The Ministry of Health says Kenya has gone 10 days without a new infection. The outbreak stands at nine confirmed cases and two deaths. Muthoni credited coordinated work by the national government, county administrations and development partners.
Health Director General Patrick Amoth reported that two of the seven patients in isolation have tested negative and are awaiting repeat tests after 72 hours. The other five are stable.
All 135 identified contacts have been traced, nine of them outside Kenya. The first 20 finished their 21-day monitoring and went home Oct. 26.
Muthoni urged Kenyans to avoid unnecessary handshakes and hugs and to report suspected cases. Reports can be made through the ministry's toll-free line, 719, by dialing *719# or by WhatsApp at 0700 719 719. The task force also called for better protection of health care workers, and the government said it will keep strengthening surveillance at points of entry.
What we don't know yet: When the 42-day period needed for an Ebola-free declaration will begin. It can start only after all active infections are cleared, and the report gave no date. Watchman News read the figures in the Kenyans.co.ke report and did not read a ministry statement directly.
