The Ministry also confirmed being in receipt of samples from a case suspected to have emerged in Kiambu County and earlier reported as true by its county government.
The threat posed by the Mpox (monkeypox) virus seems to be gathering momentum in Kenya, whose Ministry of Health on Saturday, August 17 confirmed that five new suspected cases have been detected.
In a statement to newsrooms, Mary Muthoni, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Public Health & Professional Standards, confirmed that a total of 29 suspected cases of Mpox have been identified, the five coming in the past 24 hours.
Of these, however, 23 tested negative for Mpox, while six cases are pending confirmation from the reference laboratory.
The Ministry also confirmed receiving samples from a case suspected to have emerged in Kiambu County and earlier reported as true by its county government.
“Notably, today we received samples from a suspected Mpox case at Vineyard Hospital in Kiambu County. Currently, the patient is under isolation and management within the County. We will provide timely updates as we receive more information,” read the statement in part.
Furthermore, the Ministry noted that active surveillance was ongoing across the country including points of entry where during the 24 hours, 21,350 travellers were screened at Points of Entry, with zero (0) suspected Mpox cases detected. The cumulative number of travellers screened to date was revealed to be 302,436.
The Ministry also informed the general public that during this time of heightened implementation of Mpox, public health measures such as contact tracing, screening, and heightened surveillance measures among other measures were implemented.Â
“Surveillance heightened at all points of entry which might lead to delays, we urge the travellers to cooperate and bear with the current arrangements as these measures are meant to protect and safeguard you and others from this disease,” added the statement.
The country has been heightening its public health defences against the potentially deadly Mpox virus, leveraging the very protocols that proved crucial in battling the COVID-19 pandemic just a few years ago.
PS Muthoni went on to caution the public against sharing photos of suspected mpox cases on social media “to avoid the spread of misinformation and to respect patient privacy.”
More to follow…