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By Winnie Kamau

Nairobi, Kenya: As the Kenyan Government announced it’s continuous surveillance of the Mpox cases in the country the, Government of Taita Taveta County has assured their residents that they are safe as patient Zero had no interaction in the County.

“I want to assure you the people of Taita Taveta the patient had no interaction with the residents and our people are very safe,” said the County Executive Committee Member for Health, Gifton Mkaya.

The information getting to the Talk Africa desk shows Patient Zero was on Transit from Mombasa to the Democratic Republic of Congo through the Southern Border through Taita Taveta and heading through Tanzania.  Patient Zero is a long-distance truck driver and was intercepted at the Border point. 

Patient Zero is said to be a resident of Kiambu County and was quarantined at the Taveta County Hospital from 21st to 29th of July where he was later released.

The Ministry of Health has assured Kenyans no new Mpox cases have been reported in Kenya but is closely monitoring the confirmed case, involving a long-distance truck driver.

Mary Muthoni, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, that the truck driver has now returned to Kenya, prompting an extensive contact tracing effort. 

The ministry is tracing all close contacts of the truck driver along his travel itinerary within the country to identify any possible new cases and prevent further transmission. 

Muthoni said the ministry is also monitoring the evolution of outbreaks in neighboring countries to assess the risks of regional transmissions and adjust response measures accordingly.

The ministry has also released emergency hotline numbers for the public to report suspected cases and seek further information on the outbreak. 

Muthoni said the ministry has deployed a rapid response team to support affected counties with detailed investigations and necessary interventions. 

She said public health emergency operation centers have been activated across the country to manage and coordinate the response to the Mpox case. 

“Counties are advised to sensitize the public on the outbreak, necessary preventive measures, and steps to take if they contract the disease. Key preventive measures include frequent hand washing with soap and water or hand sanitizer, seeking early treatment, and avoiding close contact with sick persons,” Muthoni said.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is endemic to forested areas of East, Central, and West Africa, the ministry said, adding that since May 2022, a multi-country outbreak has been ongoing globally with peak cases in August 2022 and June-November 2023.

A look at the Global scene by 9th July 2024, the IHR NFP of the Republic of South Africa notified World Health Organization (WHO) of 20 confirmed Mpox (monkeypox) cases between 8th May and 2nd July 2024, including three deaths with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 15%. These cases were reported in three of nine provinces of Gauteng (10 cases; 1 death), Western Cape (1 case), and KwaZulu-Natal (9 cases; 2 deaths).

WHO has raised concerns with the ongoing outbreak of Mpox in DRC caused by the clade I Mpox virus, which is distinct from the clade IIb Mpox virus that caused the 2022 global outbreak. As of June 2, 2024, DRC reported 7,281 confirmed or suspected cases of Mpox in 2024.

As of June 6th, Australia has recorded some 40 cases so far in 2024, already surpassing the total number recorded for 2023 (26). Victoria has reported 24 cases this year, while Queensland saw ten cases reported in May. There was previously a significant Mpox outbreak in 2022, with a total of 144 cases across Australia.

According to Africa’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (AfricaCDC), since the beginning of this year and as of July 28 2024 a total of 14,250 cases have been reported, 2,745 confirmed and 11,505 suspected and 456 deaths with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 3.2% of Mpox have been reported from 10 AU Member States including Burundi reporting 8 cases and 0 deaths, Cameroon has reported 35 cases and 2 fatalities, CAR has reported 213 cases with 0 fatality, Congo has reported 146 cases with 1 death, DRC has reported 13,791 and 450 deaths, Ghana has reported 4 cases and 0 deaths, Liberia has reported 5 cases and 0 fatalities, Nigeria has reported 24 cases and no fatalities, Rwanda has reported 2 cases and 0 fatalities and South Africa has reported 22 cases and 3 fatalities.

Additionally, Africa CDC says this represents a160% and 19% increase in cases and deaths, respectively, in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. DRC accounts for 96.3% of all cases and 97% of all deaths reported this year. In addition, Chad has reported 24 suspected cases and no confirmed cases this year.

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