Kenya confirms second case of mpox amid heightened vigilance

NAIROBI, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday announced that the second case of mpox had been confirmed in the country, pledging intensified surveillance to prevent further transmission.

Deborah Barasa, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health, said that the second case was identified from a long-distance truck driver with a history of traveling to the epicenter of the disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to Barasa, the case was confirmed after laboratory tests at the port health screening in Malaba, a one-stop border check in western Kenya, which borders Uganda.

"The patient has been isolated and is under active management in one of the health facilities in the area," Barasa said in a statement released in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

She revealed that since the declaration of the first case of mpox on July 31, a total of 28 contacts have completed a 21-day follow-up period without displaying symptoms and have been freed from active surveillance.

Barasa said that 42 samples have so far been submitted to the laboratory for mpox virus testing, out of which 40 have tested negative for the disease, adding that 426,438 travelers at various ports of entry across the country have been screened.

"All health facilities are adequately staffed and well equipped to diagnose and manage the disease and therefore its identification should not be a cause for alarm," said Barasa while assuring Kenyans that active surveillance for suspected cases has been enhanced in the region and across all counties to ensure the spread of the disease is controlled.

To prevent the spread of mpox virus, Barasa urged all Kenyans to observe regular handwashing with soap and running water, practice good hygiene, avoid close contact with individuals exhibiting mpox-like symptoms, and avoid sharing personal items such as towels, utensils, and clothing.