The Ministry of Health (MOH) has issued an update on the MPOX virus which the government reported its first confirmed case in the country on Wednesday.
In a statement on August 3, MoH assured that it was monitoring and revealed that beside the initial confirmed case, no new case has been reported.
“Since the last press briefing, no new cases of Mpox have been identified within the country. We continue to monitor the one confirmed case, who traveled from Kampala in Uganda to Mombasa, then to Rwanda through Taita Taveta and Tanzania. The case, a long-distance truck driver, is now back in Kenya,” the statement read.
Additionally, Principal Secretary for Health Mary Muthoni Muriuki stated that measures have been put in place to trace the patient’s journey, analyze potential infections among their colleagues, and identify places the patient has visited.
“We are tracing all close contacts at his workplace, the hospital where he was admitted, and along his travel routes,” Mary stated.
The Ministry of Health on Wednesday warned the public of an Mpox outbreak in the country after confirming the first case of the disease from an individual travelling from Uganda to Rwanda through Kenya at the Taita-Taveta one-stop border point (OSBP).
Also Read: Mpox: What to Watch Out For, Treatment and What to Worry About
MoH Response to MPOX
Following the confirmation of the Mpox case in Kenya, the Ministry of Health has undertaken various response measures, including tracing all close contacts of the patient along his travel itinerary in the country.
The ministry issued a statement shedding light on the disease and informing the public of the ongoing response efforts.
MoH has, among other measures, heightened surveillance in all counties along the Busia to Mombasa highway and the Mombasa to Taveta Road, to identify all contacts and any other unidentified cases.
Similarly, Mary noted that the ministry is communicating with health authorities in neighboring countries where the patient traveled to trace all potential contacts.
The PS also revealed the government’s intentions to deploy a rapid response team to support affected counties with detailed investigations.
Moreover, MoH has revealed plans to activate the Public Health Emergency Operation Centers across the country to mitigate the spread of infections.
MoH has also announced plans to establish incident management teams to coordinate response activities.
In addition, the ministry intends to monitor the evolution of outbreaks in neighboring countries to assess the risk of regional transmission and adjust response measures accordingly.
Furthermore, Mary noted that plans are underway to sensitize the public on the outbreak as part of necessary preventive measures.
Also Read: Govt Confirms Mpox Outbreak, Issues Advisory
Contact Information
In the statement, MoH assured it is working with the County Government authorities to protect citizens from the outbreak.
“The Ministry is working closely with County Government authorities, Port Health Authorities and all relevant State Agencies and stakeholders to ensure all necessary interventions are in place to protect citizens from the outbreak,” the statement said.
Further, the Health Ministry provided contact information which Kenyans should use to reach out for assistance in case of any suspected cases.
“For further information, contact the Ministry of Health Hotline 719, or 0729 47 14 14/ 0732 353535.719, 0729471414, and 0732353535,” MoH said.
What is mpox?
Mpox, previously called monkeypox, is a pox virus that was first identified in Denmark in laboratory monkeys that had been exported from Africa in the 1950s.
Initially, it was probably presumed to be a pox virus that just infected monkeys, but the first human cases were documented in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1970s.
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