Kenya confirms second case of Mpox despite heightened vigilance – Xinhua

Kenya's Ministry of Health announced on Friday that a second case of Mpox had been confirmed in the country and promised increased surveillance to prevent further transmission.

NAIROBI, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) — Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday announced that the second case of Mpox had been confirmed in the country and promised increased surveillance to prevent further transmission.

Deborah Barasa, Cabinet Secretary at the Ministry of Health, said the second case was identified in a long-distance truck driver who had previously travelled to the epicentre of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to Barasa, the case was confirmed following laboratory tests during the health screening at the Port of Malaba, a border control center in western Kenya bordering Uganda.

“The patient has been isolated and is receiving active care at one of the health facilities in the area,” Barasa said in a statement released in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

She announced that since the first MPOX case was reported on July 31, a total of 28 contacts have completed a 21-day follow-up period without symptoms and have been released from active surveillance.

Barasa said so far 42 samples have been sent to the laboratory for testing for the Mpox virus, of which 40 have tested negative for the disease. He added that 426,438 travelers have been screened at various ports of entry across the country.

“All health facilities are adequately staffed and well equipped to diagnose and treat the disease, so there is no need to be alarmed if the disease is diagnosed,” Barasa said, assuring Kenyans that active surveillance for suspected cases had been increased in the region and in all districts to control the spread of the disease.

To prevent the spread of the Mpox virus, Barasa urged all Kenyans to regularly wash their hands with soap and running water, maintain good hygiene, avoid close contact with people exhibiting Mpox-like symptoms and not share personal items such as towels, utensils and clothes. ■