CS says State will procure 2 million Mpox vaccines, warns on false reports

Health CS Dr Deborah Barasa during inspection of Kenya’s Mpox diagnostic laboratory at the National Public Laboratories at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). She is accompanied by KNH CEO Evanson Kamuri, Director General of Health Dr Patrick Amoth among other senior officials. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

As concerns rise over Mpox outbreak, the Ministry of Health has pledged to procure two million vaccines before the end of the year.

Announcing the plans, Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said the vaccines will be allocated to high-risk individuals, as part of a broader strategy to mitigate the spread of the disease.

Barasa also emphasised the importance of accurate and verified information amid growing number of unverified reports circulating on social media.

“We wish to remind everyone that suspected cases are not confirmed cases,” she said. “We appreciate the role of media houses in disseminating information, but it is crucial that this is done cautiously, especially when dealing with unverified reports. Our commitment is to provide Kenyans with timely and accurate updates.”

The Ministry of Health confirmed Kenya’s first and only Mpox case on July 31. The patient, a 42-year-old long-distance truck driver from Kinoo, Kiambu County, had traveled from Kampala, Uganda, to Mombasa, on July 12.

He was detected with Mpox at the Taveta One Stop Border Post while traveling to Rwanda through Tanzania. The patient has since made a full recovery.

Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, is a zoonotic disease transmitted through contact with infected individuals, animals, or contaminated materials.

Humans can contract the virus from non-human primates and rodents, through bites, scratches or direct exposure to their body fluids.

The disease has primarily affected Africa, with the Democratic Republic of Congo being the epicentre.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, urging enhanced prevention and control measures. Similarly, the Africa CDC has declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Concern.

In response to the outbreak, Barasa announced that MoH has activated the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre and the Incident Management System for Mpox. The bodies are tasked with coordinating and overseeing the national response.

Additionally, National Rapid Response Teams have been deployed to offer technical assistance to counties reporting suspected cases. Currently, 25 County Emergency Operation Centres are operational.

Kenya will benefit from a Sh2 billion fund that is being assembled by international donors to combat Mpox. The WHO has indicated an immediate funding requirement of at least $15 million (Sh1.9 billion) for surveillance, preparedness and response activities, with a substantial portion for African countries.

“We have released approximately $1.5 million (Sh193.5 million) from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies and plan to allocate more funds shortly. We are also appealing to donors to support the remaining parts of the response plan,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Although Kenya has only reported one confirmed case, experts believe there may be more unreported cases.

Most individuals with Mpox develop a rash and recover without treatment within a few weeks, though severe cases can be fatal.

On Wednesday, the WHO warned that the increasing spread of Mpox in Africa constitutes a global health emergency, with concerns that a more virulent strain of the virus could spread.

Dr. Tedros noted that there have been over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year, surpassing last year’s figures.

The situation in Africa is alarming, and we must all be concerned,” Dr. Tedros said.

In the past month, more than 100 laboratory-confirmed cases of the deadly Clade 1b have been reported in four regional countries—Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda—that had not previously reported Mpox cases.

Experts suspect the actual number of cases may be higher, as many clinically compatible cases have not been tested.

Public Health PS Mary Muthoni reported that health officers have screened over 302,000 individuals at ports of entry.