MoH receives 10,000 vaccines of Mpox to control outbreak

Health CS Aden Duale has announced the arrival of 10,700 doses of the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) Mpox vaccines to control the ongoing outbreak.

Duale said the vaccines have been received through collaborative efforts by the government with support from Africa CDC, World Health Organisation, UNICEF and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

“The arrival of the vaccines marks a significant milestone in the national response to interrupt the chain of transmission and limit further spread of Mpox in the community,” he said.

He said the Mpox vaccination will be used as an additional public health measure as part of the comprehensive outbreak response.

This is in addition to other outbreak interventions such as enhanced surveillance, including at the 26 points of entry, contact tracing, testing of suspected cases, as well as risk communication and community engagement.

“This additional intervention is coming in response to the recent upsurge in Mpox cases in the country, causing a sharp rise of 100 percent in cases, which has doubled the disease burden since December 31, 2024,” the CS said.

Duale said the MVA-BN vaccine has demonstrated safety and efficacy in reducing Mpox disease severity, transmission risk and mortality.

“The vaccine effectiveness (VE) is estimated to be 82 percent for two doses given four weeks apart,” he said.

Duale said the deployment will not target the general population but will prioritise high-risk groups, starting with the counties reporting confirmed cases.

The identified high-risk groups for vaccination include high-risk contacts, high-risk populations and healthcare workers.

The Ministry of Health has urged all Kenyans to protect themselves from Mpox by adhering to the recommended public health preventive measures.

These include avoiding close contact with suspected or confirmed Mpox cases and sharing personal items, practicing good hygiene, including frequent handwashing, and limiting sexual partners.

Additionally, they should report any suspected symptoms to the nearest health facility, self-isolate if they have suspected or confirmed Mpox disease, engage with qualified health care workers, community health promoters, community leaders and verified sources of information for updates and address any concerns, and monitor and counter misinformation through social media monitoring and verification of information received.

Since the declaration of the outbreak on July 31, 2024, a total number of 67 Mpox cases have been confirmed so far across 13 counties.

The affected counties include: Busia (22), Mombasa (12), Nakuru (10), Makueni (6), Bungoma (3), Nairobi (3), Kajiado (2), Taita Taveta (2), Kericho (2), Kilifi (2), Kiambu (1), Uasin Gishu (1) and Migori (1).

Of the reported cases, 49 patients have recovered, 10 are currently admitted, and seven are under home-based care.

One death has been reported, bringing the case fatality rate to 1.5 percent.

A total of 327 contacts have been listed from the confirmed cases, 274 of which have been followed up for 21 days, 13 contacts have contracted Mpox, and 40 are currently on follow-up.

Cumulatively, 4,111,811 travelers screened in 26 Points of Entry, as part of enhanced surveillance for the disease.

Laboratory testing of suspected cases continues, and the National Public Health Laboratory has received 485 samples: 67 have tested positive (positivity rate: 13.8 percent) and 414 are testing negative.