Kiambu County Government has addressed reports that the County has recorded a case of Mpox following reports circulating on social media.
In a statement on Saturday, August 17, Kiambu County Health CEC Dr Elias Maina confirmed that the County has recorded a suspected case of Mpox which is under laboratory investigation.
Dr. Maina said that the suspected case was reported at Thika Level 5 Hospital following a referral of a patient from a private hospital in Murang’a County.
“The County Government of Kiambu is aware of reports circulating on social media regarding a suspected case of MPOX (Monkeypox) within the county. We wish to confirm that there is indeed a suspected case, which is currently under thorough laboratory investigation,” read part of the statement.
Further, the CEC said that swab samples from the patient have been taken and are currently under analysis at National Public Health Laboratories (NPHL) for analysis to confirm the diagnosis.
“We are awaiting the official lab results and will provide a comprehensive update as soon as they are available.”
The CEC at the same time pointed out that there is no need for alarm among Kenyans as the County Government, through the Department of Health Services, has activated all necessary measures to ensure the safety and well-being of its residents.
Kiambu County clarifies Mpox case after MoH Announces Zero Cases in Kenya
This comes after the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced that there is no active Mpox virus in the country.
Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said in a statement on Friday made the announcement saying that Kenya reported only one case of Mpox.
Also Read: Govt Issues Update on Patient Who Tested Positive for Mpox
She said that the reported case was recorded from a person who travelled from Kampala in Uganda to Mombasa, then to Rwanda via Tanzania through Taita Taveta one-stop border point.
However, Barasa said that the patient he has since recovered, adding that there are no new confirmed case/s of Mpox reported in the country since the first confirmed case.
“The Ministry of Health wishes to reassure Kenyans that there is no active case of Mpox disease in the country following the uneventful recovery of the index case that was identified on July 29, 2024,” Health CS Barasa said in a statement.
“This individual has since made a full recovery and is now well. We have screened 12 persons who came into contact with the index case and another six different suspected cases all of whom have tested negative for the disease.”
Africa CDC & WHO Declare Public Health Emergency
Her announcement followed a declaration of Mpox as a public health emergency by the Africa Centre for Disease Control and prevention.
Also Read: Mpox: What to Watch Out For, Treatment and What to Worry About
Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) on August 14 similarly declared the event as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
Barasa said the two declarations by the continental and global health bodies are similar and highlight the public health threat posed by the outbreak.
The health CS added that there is a need for an immediate and coordinated international response to control the disease
Kenya is set to benefit from a Ksh2 billion fund that donors are putting together to fight the spread of Mpox.
WHO said it anticipates an immediate funding requirement of at least $15 million (about Ksh1.9 billion) to support surveillance, preparedness and response activities.
“We have released about $1.5 million (about Sh193.5 million) from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies and we plan to release more in the coming days. We are also appealing to donors to fund the rest of the response plan,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom said.
Most of the support will go to African countries, the epicenter of the current outbreak.
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