MoH confirms one more Mpox case in Kericho

The Ministry of Health has confirmed one more case of Mpox in the last 24 hours.

This brings the total number of cases recorded in the country to 10.

Health CS Deborah Barasa said the latest case involves a 35-year-old female from Kericho County.

“Kenya has recorded one new Mpox case in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 10,” she said.

“The Ministry of Health remains vigilant and committed to timely and accurate updates on the ongoing Mpox outbreak in Kenya. As the situation evolves, we are sharing the latest status and reminding the public of the critical role we all play in preventing the spread of this virus.”

She called on Kenyans to follow the recommended safety measures to protect themselves and their communities.

The cases are distributed across nine counties with Nakuru recording two cases, Taita Taveta one case, Busia (one), Nairobi (one), Mombasa (one), Makueni (one), Kajiado (one), Bungoma (one) and Kericho (one).

The CS said that no deaths have been registered among the confirmed cases.

“Our surveillance efforts remain robust. The Ministry has traced 68 contacts, 61 of whom have completed the recommended 21-day monitoring period. The remaining seven contacts are still being monitored by our public health teams and Community Health Promoters (CHPs) in the respective counties,” she said.

According to the CS, only one contact tested positive for Mpox during the monitoring period.

She said the Ministry continues to screen travellers at all Points of Entry (POEs).

Barasa said in the last 24 hours, 117,377 travellers were screened, bringing the total number of travellers screened at 26 POEs to 1,146,353.

She said that the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) received and tested 230 samples, with 10 confirmed positive, 216 testing negative, and four samples currently under testing.

The CS called on Kenyans to mitigate the spread of Mpox by avoiding close physical contact with individuals infected with or showing symptoms of Mpox, limiting the number of sexual partners to reduce the risk of exposure, and washing hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitiser.