The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has urged Saudi Arabia to reconsider its travel restrictions against Kenya, arguing that the country should not be punished for detecting and containing an imported Ebola case, especially after going 18 consecutive days without reporting a new infection.
The continental health agency said Kenya had demonstrated how countries should respond to disease outbreaks through early detection, effective contact tracing, isolation of suspected cases and investment in healthcare facilities.
The appeal comes after Saudi Arabia announced travel restrictions against Kenya on October 30, suspending travel by its citizens to the country and stopping the issuance of visas to individuals arriving from Kenya.
The kingdom also barred entry to travellers coming directly from Kenya or through third countries if they had stayed in Kenya or any other country experiencing an active Ebola outbreak within the 21 days before arriving in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia said the restrictions were intended to reduce the risk of Ebola infections, adding that they were informed by epidemiological assessments conducted by its national health authorities.
It further explained that the measures were part of ongoing cooperation with local and international health agencies to assess potential risks, protect the health of citizens, residents and visitors, and support global health security.
However, speaking during Friday's press briefing, Dr Wessam Mankoula, Director of the Centre of Public Health Emergency and Lead of the Continental Incident Management Support Team for Ebola Response at Africa CDC, said Kenya's handling of the outbreak should be recognised rather than met with travel restrictions.
He maintained that detecting an imported infection did not amount to a failure in a country's health security system, noting that Kenya had taken the necessary steps to prevent further spread of the virus.
"What has happened in Kenya is a good model. We commend the effort done by the Kenyan authorities in early detection and also having the measures in place for containing this imported case, identifying all possible contacts, putting them under quarantine, investing in having laboratory capacity that's able to diagnose and confirm those cases, having proper case management facilities in addition to also having quarantine facilities, investing in risk communication and community engagement," said Dr Mankoula.
"This is how we see the good model that Kenya is presenting so far with controlling this outbreak. So, countries shouldnt be punished for transparency; countries that are invested in preparing themselves shouldn't be punished for this.
"Let's focus on isolating the virus, not isolating the country," he added.
Africa CDC warned that imposing travel restrictions without scientific evidence or a clear public health justification could discourage countries from reporting future outbreaks.
The agency argued that penalising governments for openly reporting infections could encourage concealment of disease outbreaks, creating greater risks for other countries.
"In this regard, we are calling for Saudi Arabia to review the measures that have been taken toward travel restrictions for Kenya, and for other countries, no similar restriction should be put in place without public health justification," said Dr Mankoula.
Kenya's Ministry of Health had earlier objected to Saudi Arabia's decision, describing the restrictions as excessive and inconsistent with the country's Ebola situation.
In a statement issued on October 31, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said Kenya had acted swiftly after identifying the imported case, successfully tracing all individuals who had come into contact with the patient.
"We reiterate that the measures taken are not only excessive but also not backed by the current epidemiological situation in the country. For avoidance of doubt, our index case was imported, and we quickly listed and traced all the 135 contacts (100 per cent) related to the case," said CS Duale.
"In addition, we went ahead to place 118 contacts under quarantine. All nine confirmed cases were related to the index case as either healthcare workers (four) or close family members (four). We have not had any transmission of the disease outside this cluster, and I reiterate we have no evidence of community transmission.
"We have not reported any new case since October 19, 2026," he added.
Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth also attributed the progress to deliberate measures taken by the government, saying the country had followed established procedures for controlling Ebola.
These included identifying infections early, isolating and treating patients, tracing and monitoring their contacts, protecting healthcare workers and ensuring safe and dignified burials for those who died from the disease.
Amoth explained that Kenya would only begin the mandatory 42-day countdown towards declaring the outbreak over after the last patient had been discharged from the treatment centre and cleared of the virus.
The period represents twice the longest time Ebola is known to take before symptoms appear. If no additional infections are recorded throughout the period, the outbreak will be declared over.
"Ebola is still active in the region, and outbreaks in one country can quickly reach another. Kenya will keep screening travellers at all 26 points of entry, where to date more than 760,000 travellers have been screened, and will keep its emergency operations centres and rapid response teams on alert in every county," he added.
According to the Ministry of Health's Ebola response update for November 6, Kenya had recorded nine confirmed infections and two deaths since the outbreak was detected.
Six patients had recovered, including one who was discharged on November 6, while another remained under treatment.
The country had also gone 18 consecutive days without recording a new infection, with the last confirmed case reported on October 19.
The ministry further reported that 66 contacts had completed their mandatory 21-day monitoring period, while another 52 remained under observation.
Despite the outbreak, the government maintained that Kenya remained open to visitors and that no restrictions had been imposed on travel, trade or public gatherings.
Travellers have been advised to complete the electronic surveillance form through the UHAI Chatbot before arrival and report any illness within 21 days.
Members of the public seeking information or wishing to report concerns have been urged to call the free 719 hotline or use the Jali WhatsApp chatbot on 0700 719 719.