Two more Mpox cases confirmed, raising total to 33

The Ministry of Health has confirmed two additional Mpox cases, bringing the total to 33 since the outbreak began. The new cases were detected in Kericho and Taita Taveta Counties.

In the latest update on the Mpox situation in the country, Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni reported that a total of 225 contacts have been identified, with 216 of these monitored for the recommended 21-day period.

“Of those, nine contacts tested positive for Mpox,” said the Public Health Principal Secretary.

Muthoni also noted that 2.9 million travellers have been screened at points of entry, with suspected cases identified for further examination. She confirmed that suspected Mpox samples are tested at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) and other partner laboratories, with 379 samples tested, of which 33 have returned positive results.

“To accelerate the response to the outbreak in affected counties, the Ministry, in collaboration with county governments and partners, has enhanced surveillance through active case searches, contact listing, tracing, investigations, and symptomatic management of confirmed cases, including providing mental health and psychosocial support to infected and affected persons,” said PS Muthoni.