NAIROBI, Jan 17 (NNN-KBC) — The Ministry of Health has confirmed two additional Mpox cases, bringing the total to 33 since the outbreak began. The new cases were detected in Kericho and Taita Taveta Counties.
In the latest update on the Mpox situation in the country, Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni reported that a total of 225 contacts have been identified, with 216 of these monitored for the recommended 21-day period.
“Of those, nine contacts tested positive for Mpox,” said the Public Health Principal Secretary.
Muthoni also noted that 2.9 million travellers have been screened at points of entry, with suspected cases identified for further examination. She confirmed that suspected Mpox samples are tested at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) and other partner laboratories, with 379 samples tested, of which 33 have returned positive results.
“To accelerate the response to the outbreak in affected counties, the Ministry, in collaboration with county governments and partners, has enhanced surveillance through active case searches, contact listing, tracing, investigations, and symptomatic management of confirmed cases, including providing mental health and psychosocial support to infected and affected persons,” said PS Muthoni.
With the recent reopening of schools, the PS cautioned that children are at an increased risk of severe illness from Mpox. In light of this, Muthoni confirmed that the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, is enhancing health education and implementing additional measures in schools to prevent the spread of Mpox in educational institutions. — NNN-KBC
