ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has commended Kenya after the country discharged its final Ebola patient, calling the achievement an "important milestone" amid the continent's broader response against the multi-country Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak.
"This is an encouraging moment for Kenya and for Africa. We must sustain surveillance and vigilance until the outbreak is officially declared over," Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement came after Kenya's Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced Wednesday that the country had begun the 42-day countdown toward an Ebola-free declaration, following the discharge of the last patient and the release of the final 11 contacts upon completing their mandatory 21-day monitoring period in good health.
The Africa CDC chief emphasized that the milestone "reflects the strength of Kenya's public health response, from early detection and contact tracing to clinical care and community engagement."
Kaseya congratulated Kenyan authorities, including the country's ministry of health and all frontline health workers "on this important milestone in the response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak." He further reiterated the African Union's specialized public health agency's continued support and solidarity with Kenya and other African countries currently responding to the outbreak.
Kenya, which reported its first imported Ebola case on Oct. 6, has recorded a total of nine confirmed cases and two deaths. The East African country has not reported a new case since Oct. 19. ■
