Updated

Kenya has discharged its last Ebola patient, the seventh to recover, starting a 42-day countdown to being declared Ebola-free if no new cases emerge. Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case in early October, when a Kenyan businessman died within days of arriving in Nairobi after contracting the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His mother also later died. Health minister Aden Duale said all 135 identified contacts had completed 21 days of isolation and follow-up monitoring, and Kenya has reported no new confirmed cases since 20 October. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention called it an important achievement in the regional response, and its chief, Jean Kaseya, urged continued surveillance until the outbreak is officially over. Duale said heightened surveillance at borders, airports, health facilities and communities will continue during the countdown. The DR Congo outbreak, which began in May, has killed more than 5,000 people. Kenya has not restricted domestic travel, trade or gatherings, but the outbreak has led some Gulf states to impose restrictions on travellers from Kenya and other African countries, and Saudi Arabia stopped issuing visas to Kenyan nationals in late October.