Kenya's Mpox cases rise to nine amid heightened disease prevention efforts

Nairobi: Kenya's Ministry of Health confirmed one more Mpox case, raising the total count in the country to nine as the government strengthened public health response to the disease.

Deborah Barasa, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health, said on Wednesday in a statement released in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi that the case had been confirmed in Nakuru, some 160 km northwest of the capital.

"The new case is a male aged 37, who travelled to Rwanda and Uganda," Barasa said, noting that "no deaths have been reported among the confirmed cases."

She added that the ministry's surveillance efforts remain robust and had tracked 68 contacts, among whom 61 had been monitored for the recommended 21 days, Xinhua news agency reported.

Barasa revealed that the ministry had cumulatively screened nearly 1.13 million travellers at 26 points of entry.

She called for vigilance, noting that it was vital for protecting communities from the spread of the disease.

According to Barasa, the ministry has intensified surveillance, risk communication and community engagement to combat stigma and curb infections.

Barasa noted on Tuesday that the ministry is working to secure Mpox vaccines for high-risk populations.

The vaccines are expected to arrive in the country in December, as Kenya is one of the five African nations set to receive 50,000 doses of Mpox vaccine as part of the World Health Organisation-led global efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.

Besides Kenya, other African countries with Mpox cases include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Cameroon, Liberia, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Guinea, Gabon and Rwanda.