The patient was isolated at Taveta Sub-County Hospital where the clinicians suspected either chickenpox or Mpox.
Kenya’s Ministry of Health has declared the country Mpox-free having reported no new cases following the recovery of its only patient.
Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni in a statement detailed that the only confirmed case of Mpox in the country came after Port Health Officers identified a truck driver with a generalized rash at Taveta One Stop Border Point on July 22, 2024. He reported having symptoms for two weeks prior.
The patient was isolated at Taveta Sub-County Hospital where the clinicians suspected either chickenpox or Mpox.
Skin lesion samples were taken, with results from the National Public Health Laboratories detecting Mpox on July 29, 2024. This was validated by other reference laboratories in the national laboratory network.
Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni speaking at a medical camp held in Kianyaga on February 4, 2024. /MARY MUTHONI
“The patient has recovered. However, due to the infectiousness of Mpox and as per international guidelines for mpox response, the Ministry of Health and the County Health Department of Taita Taveta began identifying all persons who had been in close contact with the patient.
“We are tracing all his close contacts at his workplace, at the hospital where he was admitted and along his travel routes,” the statement read in part.
The driver was revealed to have travelled through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. PS Muthoni stated that the Kenyan government was working with the neighbouring countries to identify any contacts and any other potential cases. This is given that there is an active mpox outbreak in DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.
The urgency is being pushed by the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has resulted in nearly 500 deaths since January. The DRC has reported over 12,300 cases in 2024 alone, with the virus spreading rapidly in remote areas and cities, and with the outbreak spreading to countries that include Ivory Coast, widespread alarm has ensued.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has hinted at convening a panel to consider declaring the outbreak an international public health emergency. Such a declaration would mobilise global resources and attention to combat the virus.
However, Kenya’s Ministry of Health has moved with speed to mitigate the situation. This has been achieved through the deployment of a rapid response to affected counties and the activation of Public Health Emergency Operation Centres across the nation.
“Our monitoring of the outbreak’s evolution in neighbouring countries is ongoing,” the Ministry stated. “We are prepared to adjust our response measures to mitigate the risk of regional transmission.”
“All counties have been advised to sensitize the public on the outbreak and the requisite preventive measures necessary to avoid contracting the disease and also the steps to take when they contract the disease including frequent hand washing with soap and water or hand sanitiser, seeking treatment early when infected and avoiding close contact with sick persons.”
