The Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of Mpox in Kenya and cautioned the public to avoid close contact with those suspected or confirmed to have the disease.
To contain the spread of the viral disease, the Ministry of Health is advising the public to regularly wash their hands often with soap and running water or use a hand sanitiser.
The Ministry of Health is also advising those who have the symptoms or come into contact with those showing Mpox symptoms to immediately visit the nearest health facility. In addition, those with symptoms are advised to avoid close contact with other persons.
Among the symptoms of the disease is a skin rash or mucosal lesions, fever, headache, generalized aches and swollen lymph nodes.
Person-to-person transmission of Mpox can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or through respiratory droplets.
Health experts say Mpox clears in two to four weeks.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health says the confirmed Mpox (that was previously known as Monkeypox) was in a patient who was travelling from Uganda to Rwanda through Kenya.
The first confirmation of the illness that is caused by the monkeypox virus, was reported at the Taita-Taveta one-stop border point (OSBP).
The East African Community secretariat had on Monday warned about the outbreak of Mpox in the DRC and Burundi.
Here is the statement from the Ministry of Health:
