The Ministry of Health has warned that Mpox disease has, within the past two months, spread its roots to four more counties.
Mpox, is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus, previously known as monkeypox, and is classified in the same family as smallpox. The disease is transmitted through close contact with infected individuals, animals, or contaminated materials.
Patients infected with the virus exhibit symptoms such as skin rash or mucosal lesions, fever, headache, generalised aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
In a statement on Tuesday, June 10, the Public Health Principal Secretary, Mary Muthoni, said the latest counties to be affected are Isiolo, Kisii, and Kirinyaga, which have recorded one case each, and Machakos, which has recorded two cases.
The ministry has also noted that additional cases have been recorded in other counties where Mpox cases had been identified before. Busia (48), Mombasa (37), Nakuru (16), Makueni (10), Bungoma (3), Nairobi (5), Kajiado (3) Taita Taveta (2), Kericho (2), Kilifi (3), Kiambu (1), Uasin Gishu (1), and Migori (1).
"The Ministry of Health would like to inform the public of additional cases, especially in new counties outside the Northern transport corridor," Muthoni stated.
According to Muthoni, more suspected Mpox samples are currently being tested at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) and other partner laboratories.
According to the ministry, 400 individuals who were in close contact with those infected were identified, and 315 of them will be monitored for 21 days.
The ministry has further assured that it will collaborate with county governments to ensure that case search, contact listing, tracing, investigation, and symptomatic management remain active in a bid to suppress the spread of the disease.
Members of the public have been urged to remain vigilant and ensure that they access Mpox prevention and control messages by calling 719 or by dialling * 719#.
The announcement by the ministry comes days after the World Health Organisation Director General, Tedros Adhanom, warned that MPox remains a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
Since the beginning of 2024, more than 37,000 confirmed mpox cases have been reported from 25 countries, including 125 deaths globally.
"WHO continues to work in all affected countries, with the Africa CDC and other partners, under our shared continental response plan. Together, we have expanded surveillance systems significantly; We have supported the development of laboratory capacity and genomic sequencing," he said on June 5," Adhanom said.
Two months ago, the Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, through a statement on Thursday, April 10, confirmed that the country had received 10,700 doses of the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) vaccine, which would help in curbing the outbreak of the disease.
According to Duale, the vaccines, which he said 'will not target the general population', would be dispatched to high-risk groups of people in the 13 most affected counties.
The high-risk groups to be prioritised during the vaccination included individuals who have been in close physical contact with a confirmed Mpox patient, long-distance drivers, sex workers, and healthcare workers who are providing direct care to Mpox patients.
The ministry urged Kenyans to continue adhering to the recommended preventative measures, which include avoiding close contact with mpox cases, good hygiene, limiting sexual partners, and reporting any suspected case to healthcare workers to break the disease transmission.
