The Ministry of Health has unveiled plans to curb the spread of Mpox from the neighbouring countries days after the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the disease a public health emergency.
Speaking to a local TV station on Friday night August 16, 2024, Principal Secretary of Public Health and Standards Mary Muthoni added that the East African countries are at an advanced stage of further establishing data-sharing models following the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the neighbouring countries which will be criticál in tackling Mpox before it spreads to other parts of the country.
“Cross border information sharing exists between Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and the neighboring countries. Efforts are underway to establish formal cross border data and information sharing,” Muthoni stated.
Besides, adopting the data sharing strategy, PS Muthoni further revealed that the country has intensified its surveillance systems in all 47 countries especially those at the border point to curb the spread of Mpox.
“Kenya has a very strong disease surveillance across the 47 counties at all entry points. We are also sensitizing the masses on what they need to do to prevent Mpox,” she insisted.
Warning
Despite the plans put in place to tackle Mpox, PS Mary Muthoni warned Kenyans over the infection rate of the disease.
She indicated that the new variant is highly infectious thus advising Kenyans to observe the public health safety protocols set by the Ministry of Health.
“This new variant of Mpox is very highly virulent and able to spread from one person to the other than the other forms. The mortality rate is 10 per cent of those infected.”
WHO declaration
WHO declared it a public health emergency following advice from experts who indicated that an upsurge of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa threatens the entire world.
“The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of óútbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these o*******s and save lives,” Tedros stated.
In Kenya, the first case recorded was contained and the patient fully recovered.