State ramps up Mpox surveillance

The government has heightened surveillance to contain the spread of Mpox cases in the country following a suspected case in Kiambu over the weekend.

The case, a Thika businesswoman who has contact with customers mostly drivers from Uganda, Tanzania, Bungoma, Sondu Miriu and Nandi Hills, is undergoing tests at relevant laboratories.

In a statement released late Saturday, the Ministry of Health stated that it will continue monitoring and managing the Mpox situation in the country.

Health Principal Secretary, Mary Muthoni, said active surveillance is ongoing across the country, including entry points.

“The ministry remains committed to ensuring the health and safety of all Kenyans. We continue to screen travellers and monitor suspected cases diligently to prevent the spread of Mpox,” She said.

The government has so far screened 21,350 travelers at various entry points, and there were zero cases detected.

So far, 302, 436 travelers in total have been screened since the outbreak was reported.

Muthoni also stated that five new suspected cases have been detected.

She said cumulatively, 29 suspected cases have been identified, out of which 23 have tested negative for Mpox, while six cases are pending confirmation from the reference laboratory.

Kenya declared the Mpox outbreak on July 31, 2024, following the confirmation of one case in Taveta Sub-County, Taita Taveta County.

The patient has since been discharged from Taveta Sub-County Hospital.

Twelve contacts of the confirmed case have been traced and monitored for 21 days, and none developed symptoms of Mpox, the report stated.

On Saturday samples from a suspected Mpox case at Vineyard Hospital in Kiambu County, she added, were received.

The patient, she said, is under isolation and management within the County.

“The Ministry has heightened implementation of Mpox Public Health measures, such as contact tracing, screening, and heightened surveillance measures and among other measures, surveillance heightened at all points of entry which might lead to delays, we urge the travellers to cooperate and bear with the current arrangements as this measures are meant to protect and safeguard you and others from this disease,” she stated.

Muthoni called on the members of the public to stay informed and adhere to health guidelines to safeguard against the spread of Mpox. 

This comes as the African Centre for Disease Control (CDC) reported 1,200 new mpox cases.

New data now indicates that a total of 18,737 cases and 541 deaths have been reported since the beginning of the year.

The new recordings come in light of the recent declaration of the Mpox public health emergency by the African Union’s health watchdog over the growing outbreak on the continent.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the African Union (AU) Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) on Saturday expressed his concern on the rapid spread of Mpox across several countries within the continent.

“Since the start of 2024, a total of 17,541 cases (2,822 confirmed and 14,719 suspected) and 517 deaths due to Mpox have been reported across 13 AU Member States. This week, 3 additional countries notified cases under investigation for confirmation," he said.

"That can bring the total to 16 countries. Alarmingly, the number of reported cases in 2024 has surged by 160 per cent compared to the same period in 2023,” President Ramaphosa said in a statement.

Ramaphosa called on AU Member States to increase domestic resource allocation to strengthen their national Mpox outbreak responses and enhance their capacities, adding that there was a need to increase case detection, contact tracing, and cross-border surveillance.

Between January  2022 and July 28, 2024, a total of 37,583 cases and 1,451 deaths of Mpox have been reported from 15 African Union Member States.

 Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan and South Africa (see table 1).

 In 2023 alone, 14,957 cases and 739 deaths were reported from seven African countries, marking a 78.5percent  increase in the number of new cases compared to 2022.

Between January 2024 and 28 July 2024 a total of 14,250 cases (2,745 confirmed; 11,505 suspected) and 456 deaths of mpox have been reported from 10  African countries including Burundi (8 cases; 0 deaths), Cameroon (35; 2), CAR (213; 0), Congo (146; 1), DRC (13,791; 450), Ghana (4; 0), Liberia (5; 0), Nigeria (24; 0), Rwanda (2; 0) and South Africa (22; 3).

The data represents a 160 percent and 19 per cent increase in the number of cases and deaths respectively in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

 DRC accounts for 96.3 per cent of all cases and 97 per cent of all deaths reported this year. 

Already, Africa CDC has pledged to deliver 10 million Mpox vaccine doses by 2025 as part of strengthening health security across the continent.

Bavarian Nordic,  a  biotechnology company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialisation of vaccines, has joined forces with Africa CDC to enhance vaccine manufacturing capabilities within Africa. The partnership is set to play a crucial role in ensuring that up to 2 million doses are available this year, in addition to existing orders.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the new variant of the Mpox disease as a public health emergency of international concern terming the strain as more lethal, spreading fast and causing more fatalities.

WHO declared the disease an international threat last week following a surge in cases in at least 13 countries in Africa.

Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Africa are among countries that have reported the disease that had been, until recently, domiciled in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the 1970s.