Kenya's mpox cases rise to 8 amid fight against stigma

28/9/2024 18:19

        Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday evening confirmed another mpox case, bringing the total number of infections to eight as the government stepped up community awareness to curb stigma.
        
        Mary Muthoni, the principal secretary in the Ministry of Health, said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the case had been confirmed in Bungoma, western Kenya.
        
        "Sixty-one contacts have been followed up and released. Only one tested positive for mpox," she said. Muthoni added Kenya had cumulatively screened 1.05 million travelers at 26 points of entry and no deaths have been reported so far.
        
        She said the ministry has intensified surveillance, risk communication and community engagement to combat stigma and promote infection prevention.