Acting Director General for Health Patrick Amoth has called on the counties to be on high alert after a case of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) was confirmed in a human.
The case, according to a circular to all county directors of Health dated January 24, was confirmed in an individual from Turbi in North Horr Subcounty in Marsabit County.
This marks the first reported human case in the country with Amoth saying experts are conducting further investigations to ascertain if there might be any additional cases and assess the extent of the outbreak.
The DG is now calling on the counties to be on high alert for a potential spread of the disease, given the reported increase in mosquito population nationwide and the movement of livestock.
“This outbreak is closely associated with the conclusion of El Nino rains, leading to a surge in the mosquito population and an increased transmission of vector-borne diseases,” Amoth said.
“Therefore the Director General of Health for Health advises all counties to remain on high alert for the potential spread of RVF. The Ministry of Health is working closely with the Directorate of Veterinary Services to monitor the situation and will update you accordingly,” Amoth said.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), RVF is a viral disease most commonly seen in domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa, such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels.
People can get RVF through contact with blood, body fluids, or tissues of infected animals, or through bites from infected mosquitoes.
The World Health Organisation says the disease is transmitted by mosquitoes and blood-feeding flies.
"In humans, the disease ranges from a mild flu-like illness to severe haemorrhagic fever that can be lethal," WHO says.
The Global Health Agency warns that when livestock are infected, the disease can cause significant economic losses due to high mortality rates in young animals and waves of abortions in pregnant females.
WHO further notes that the virus is a member of the Phlebovirus genus and was first identified in 1931 in a sheep epidemic on a farm in the Rift Valley of Kenya.