Kenya confirms its second case of Mpox

The Ministry of Health of Kenya confirms its second case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, after detecting it in a truck driver who was crossing the border with Uganda and had travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the focus of the outbreak.

“The Ministry wishes to inform the public about a second confirmed case: a truck driver who presented himself at the Malaba one-stop border post (Busia County, Kenya) with symptoms of the disease and a history of travel to the epicentre of the outbreak in the DRC,” the ministry said in a statement.

Patient registered with second case of Mpox is isolated

The patient was isolated and is undergoing treatment in the aforementioned county. The first case of mpox in the country, announced on 31 July, was again detected at a border crossing with Uganda, in Taita-Taveta County.

Since the first case of illness was declared, 28 contacts of that case have completed a 21-day follow-up period without developing symptoms and have been discharged from active follow-up,” the Ministry of Health said.

Kenyan authorities said health centres have the necessary staff and equipment to diagnose and control the disease.

They deeply thanked all Kenyans for their unwavering cooperation and support in the fight against the outbreak in the country.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international health alert for MPOX, an infectious disease that can cause swollen lymph nodes and painful or itchy skin rashes, such as pimples or blisters.

The agency declared a state of health alert due to the rapid spread and high mortality of the new variant (clade 1b) on the African continent. As well as the detection of a first case in Sweden of a traveler who was in an area of ​​Africa where the virus is circulating intensely.

The variant mentioned is different from clade 2, which caused a violent outbreak in Africa in 2022 and hundreds of cases in Europe, North America and other regions. This is what led to the declaration of an international health emergency between 2022 and 2023.

Twelve African Union member states have recorded 18,910 cases of mpox and 541 deaths so far in 2024, with the vast majority of infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the AU’s public health agency, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported Tuesday.

(With information from EFE)

Virus Mpox.

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