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Kenya has begun a 42-day countdown to being declared free of Ebola, with the country set to attain the status on December 23 if no new cases emerge.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the start of the countdown on Wednesday, November 11, at a press conference at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Nairobi.
The countdown begins on Thursday, November 12.
The 42-day period is twice the maximum Ebola incubation period of 21 days.
The World Health Organization says symptoms of Bundibugyo virus disease can appear between two and 21 days after infection.
Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases, including two deaths, all linked to the initial imported case, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Its November 10 update said the last case was reported on October 20.
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Duale said the 42-day period would run until December 23, when Kenya could be declared Ebola-free if no further infections are detected.
The period is twice the virus's longest incubation period and is intended to allow health authorities to establish whether any further infections emerge.
The Ministry of Health will maintain heightened surveillance throughout the countdown, with rapid response teams on alert in all counties.
Health facilities and communities will continue active surveillance, while every reported alert will be investigated and screening will continue at the country's points of entry.
Kenya's nine confirmed cases were all linked to the initial imported infection.
The last case was reported on October 20, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
However, the outbreak remains active in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where authorities reported 11,042 confirmed cases and 5,387 deaths by Tuesday, November 10.
Duale warned that the risk of the virus being imported into Kenya remained real, saying the government would continue monitoring travellers and strengthening its response.
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue an advisory in the coming days outlining arrangements for Kenyans returning from affected areas.
The measures will include completing a health declaration through the Ministry's chatbot before travel, screening on arrival and 21 days of quarantine with follow-up by health teams.
Duale also urged countries and jurisdictions that had imposed blanket travel and visa restrictions on Kenya to review and lift them, arguing that the country had no patients under treatment, no contacts in quarantine and no community transmission as of Wednesday.
“Kenya will not serve as a quarantine centre for any jurisdiction. Travellers from other countries will not be held in Kenya to meet another country's entry requirements,” he said.
He added that the Ministry would not issue quarantine certificates or what he termed “border-free certification” for travel purposes, arguing that such documents had no basis in the International Health Regulations.
The CS said Kenya remained open to business, tourism, trade and travel, with no restrictions on movement or public gatherings.
He urged anyone experiencing fever, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly after travelling to an affected area, to seek medical attention and report suspected cases through the toll-free number 719.
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