- Amoth said that the patient is currently in stable condition undergoing management in an isolation unit in Nairobi.
- He said active surveillance for suspected cases is ongoing in the country to ensure the spread of the disease is controlled.
Image: COURTESY
The Ministry of Health has announced that Kenya has confirmed its third case of Mpox in Nairobi County.
Health director general Patrick Amoth said the patient, a 30-year-old female had travelled to Uganda one week ago.
He said that the patient is currently in stable condition undergoing management in an isolation unit in Nairobi.
"17 contacts remain under close observation and this positive outcome demonstrates our effective response and management of the disease," Amoth said in a statement on Friday.
He, however, said the second patient diagnosed with Mpox in Kenya has fully recovered and discharged from the Hospital.
Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa on August 23 confirmed that Kenya recorded its second case of Mpox.
The case was confirmed after samples were taken from a male truck driver at the Malaba One Stop Border post in Busia who had exhibited signs of the disease.
The third confirmed case brings the total number of confirmed Mpox cases in the country to three. The earlier two cases were detected in Taita Taveta and Busia counties.
Amoth said active surveillance for suspected cases is ongoing in the country to ensure the spread of the disease is controlled.
"Cumulatively, a total of 89 samples have been submitted to our laboratories for Mpox disease testing out of which 79 samples have tested negative for the disease while three samples have tested positive and the remaining seven samples are currently undergoing analysis," he added.
Amoth said the Ministry has further screened a total of 582,847 travellers at 26 designated Ports of Entry across the country.
"We wish to reassure the public that our healthcare facilities are fully prepared to diagnose and manage this disease and there is no need to panic," Amoth added.
"To reduce stigma and prevent the spread of the disease, we shall continue to share important information through our official social media accounts, the press and other public health forums countrywide."
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus, family Poxviridae.
Two different clades exist clades I and II.
Symptoms can include a rash, fever, and body aches, among others.
It spreads from person to person or from exposure to infected animals or materials.
Most people will recover within 2-4 weeks with appropriate care.
Since 2022, person-to-person transmission has been sustained in a global outbreak.