Twenty contacts associated with Kenya’s first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease have been released from quarantine after completing the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms.
The World Health Organisation’s Regional Office for Africa said this in a statement on Monday.
The contacts were reunited with their families after undergoing a final health assessment and receiving counselling on post-discharge precautions and follow-up where required.
“We ask communities to welcome them home warmly,” Kenya’s Director General for Health, Dr Patrick Amoth, said. “Having completed 21 days without symptoms, they pose no risk of infection to anyone.”
The WHO said 98 contacts remained in quarantine as of Monday, while eight contacts had developed symptoms and tested positive for Ebola through laboratory testing.
According to the organisation, all eight confirmed cases were already in quarantine when they developed symptoms and were immediately transferred to the country’s Ebola treatment centre in Nairobi.
Kenya has reported nine confirmed cases and two deaths since confirming its first case on October 6, 2026.
“All nine cases are part of one connected group and there is no evidence that the virus has spread to the community,” the WHO said.
The organisation said health authorities had traced all 135 contacts, both in Kenya and internationally, by October 22, and placed them in quarantine.
The WHO said it continued to support Kenyan health authorities in response coordination, disease surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, case management, infection prevention and control, health screening at points of entry, and risk communication and community engagement.
“People who complete quarantine have helped protect their families, their communities and the whole country,” the WHO Representative to Kenya, Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, said.
“WHO commends the Ministry of Health, the Kenya National Public Health Institute, national and county health teams for their work in responding quickly to every new case,” she added.
The WHO said there was no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease, but early detection and supportive care improved the chances of recovery.
The organisation advised against “travel restrictions and recommended evidence-based public health measures, including entry and exit screening at points of entry, surveillance and contact tracing.”