Kenya confirms fifth case of Mpox

The patient, a spouse to the fourth case, is in isolation at Utange Hospital.

In Summary
  • The Ministry of Health in a statement on Friday said the case was confirmed on Wednesday.
  • The patient is a 28-year-old female from Mombasa, a resident of VOK area.
Symptoms of mpox include a rash, which starts on the face and spreads to the body.
Symptoms of mpox include a rash, which starts on the face and spreads to the body.
Image: FILE

Kenya has confirmed the fifth case of Mpox virus.

The Ministry of Health in a statement on Friday said the case was confirmed on Wednesday.

The patient is a 28-year-old female from Mombasa, a resident of VOK area.

The patient, a spouse to the fourth case, is in isolation at Utange Hospital's Mpox isolation centre.

The fourth case is currently admitted in Nakuru.

"The patient has no travel history to a country reporting Mpox cases, her spouse had recently travelled to Rwanda returning on August 24," Health CS Deborah Barasa said.

According to the ministry, 124 samples have so far been submitted to laboratories for testing, with 110 testing negative and nine still under analysis.

To date, 687, 233 travellers have screened at 24 ports of entry across the country.

"Active surveillance for suspected cases is ongoing to control the spread of the disease," Barasa said.

Data by the ministry shows that 33 contacts are currently under observation, while two out of the five positive cases have recovered.

WATCH: The latest videos from the Star