- Barasa maintained that is the duty of the government to provide Kenyans with accurate and up-to-date information on the disease.
- The Ministry of Health confirmed the first and, only case in Kenya on July 31 2024.
Image: FILE
The government has expressed concern over misrepresentation of facts and unverified social media reports on the outbreak of Mpox.
Addressing a media briefing on the outbreak of the disease on Monday, Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa warned there is a potential false information spreading.
Barasa maintained that the government has to provide Kenyans with accurate and up-to-date information on the disease.
“We wish to remind everyone that suspected cases are not confirmed cases,” she highlighted.
“We appreciate the work done by media houses in the provision of news to Kenyans but this has to be done with caution, especially when reporting unverified information. We are always open to providing you with up-to-date information,” she said.
The Ministry of Health confirmed the first and, only case in Kenya on July 31 2024.
The patient, a 42-year-old Kenyan male, is a long-distance truck driver who resides in the Kinoo area, of Kiambu County.
He travelled from Kampala-Uganda to Mombasa, Kenya on July 12, 2024.
At the time of detection at One one-stop border point in Taveta, he was en route to Rwanda through Tanzania. The patient has fully recovered.
Mpox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus.
Infection occurs when a person comes into contact with an infected person, animals, or contaminated materials.
Human beings can become infected by various wild animals, such as non-human primates and rodents, through bites, scratches, or direct contact with their body fluids.
Globally, the Mpox outbreak has been ongoing, with the majority of cases in the Africa region.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and hence the recommendations on strengthening prevention and control measures.
Similarly, the Africa CDC has declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Concern.
Barasa noted that her office, in collaboration with other line ministries, county governments and partners the Ministry of Health has taken several interventions to protect Kenyans from the disease.
“The ministry has activated the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre and the Incident Management System for Mpox which oversees overall coordination and response efforts in the country,” she said.
She added that the National Rapid Response Teams have, similarly, been deployed to provide technical assistance to counties that have reported suspected cases.
She said counties have also activated the emergency response mechanisms, with 25 County Emergency Operation Centres (EOC's) currently active and providing coordinated efforts.
“All counties have been directed to activate their Rapid Response,” the CS said.