Duale Says No to Quarantine Centre for Foreign Ebola Patients as All 7 Patients Recover

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed that Kenya will not serve as a quarantine center for foreign Ebola patients or travelers trying to satisfy foreign entry criteria. He also ruled out issuing quarantine or Ebola-free certificates for travel, pointing out that international health regulations do not provide for such documentation. Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, Duale announced that all seven patients who tested positive for the virus have fully recovered and left the hospital. Every individual who had contact with the infected patients has also completed mandatory medical monitoring. “Today with the discharge of the last patient we can confirm and tell the world that 7 patients have recovered and all contacts have completed their follow-up monitoring,” Duale said. The discharges mark a major milestone in Kenya’s outbreak response since health officials first detected the virus on October 3. Overall, the country recorded nine infections and two deaths during the outbreak. Government agencies plan to maintain heightened surveillance across all regions to stop any further transmission. If no new cases arise during the required 42-day monitoring period, public health officials will officially declare Kenya Ebola-free on December 23, 2026. “The countdown is not the end of our response. During the 42 days, we will heighten vigilance and surveillance, and our teams will still continue doing what they did during the period,” Duale said. Border Controls and Foreign Restrictions Health teams will keep screening travelers at all points of entry and investigate any suspected cases or alerts. Duale clarified that Kenya remains open for trade, business, and international tourism, despite travel restrictions that several foreign jurisdictions imposed following the initial outbreak. He criticized those travel bans, noting that certain nations treated Kenya unfairly despite its prompt data sharing and compliance with international health standards. “We published our figures, we shared our data, and we kept our borders open as international health regulations require, ” he said. “Regrettably, some jurisdictions responded to that honesty, transparency, and accountability with blanket travel and visa restrictions on Kenya,” Duale added. He called on affected foreign governments to review and lift these barriers immediately, maintaining that zero active cases or community transmission exist to justify them. “Kenya has no patient under treatment, Kenya has no community transmission, and Kenya has no contact in quarantine. There is no basis for restrictions for Kenyan travellers. Transparency must be rewarded, not punished,” he said. Duale firmly rejected proposals to host or treat international Ebola patients inside Kenyan borders. However, he declined to comment on future operational plans for the Laikipia Ebola Isolation Centre in Nanyuki, citing active judicial proceedings. “The matter is before court, so we will not answer that question,” he stated. The Kenyan and United States governments originally established the specialized facility at Laikipia Air Base to monitor and isolate individuals arriving from regional outbreak zones, including Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The post Duale Says No to Quarantine Centre for Foreign Ebola Patients as All 7 Patients Recover appeared first on Nairobi Wire .