Five new Mpox cases confirmed in Kenya

 The Ministry of Health has confirmed five more cases of Mpox bringing the number up to 28 in the last week.

In the weekly updates on the outbreak, health Cabinet Secretary Debora Barasa said that the distribution of cases has been reported in laboratories across 12 counties.

The latest five cases have been reported from Nakuru (3 cases) and Mombasa (2 cases) Counties. 

 Other affected counties are distributed as follows; Nakuru (5), Mombasa (4) Kajiado (2), Bungoma (2), Nairobi (2), Taita Taveta (I), Busia (I), Kiambu (I), Makueni ( I), Kericho ( 1), Uasin Gishu (1), and Kilifi (1). 

Currently, eight individuals are under management while 17 have fully recovered.

The Ministry has further confirmed one death as two individuals are still in self-isolation.

Currently, 204 contacts have been traced with 147 completing the required 2I-day follow-up. 

Out of which seven contacts have tested positive for Mpox, and 50 remaining individuals are under active follow-up. 

 total of 2,207,715 travelers have been screened at various Points of Entry (POE), since the onset of the outbreak in July 2024.

 The National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) has confirmed receiving 322 samples for testing of which 28 have tested positive, while 292 tested negative with two results pending. 

The Ministry has continued to engage with the County Governments and stakeholders to raise awareness and emphasize the importance of adhering to the recommended preventive measures.

The public is urged to remain vigilant as they adhere to the preventive measures in a bid to curb the spread of Mpox.