NAIROBI: Kenya has registered its first case of mpox disease, the health ministry on Wednesday said, as the regional East African bloc urged caution of an outbreak.
The ministry in a statement said the case of the viral infection was found in a passenger at a border crossing with Kenya. The person was traveling from Uganda to Rwanda through Kenya.
Burundi on July 25 confirmed three cases, while the Democratic Democratic Republic of Congo on July 20 reported more than 11,000 cases including around 450 deaths.
The outbreak triggered a warning from the eight-member East African Community (EAC), which called on nations to educate their citizens about the spread of mpox. It said the bloc would hold a meeting of health experts to deliberate on the situation.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was first detected in humans in 1970 in the DRC. It has since been mainly limited to some West and Central African countries, with people mainly catching the infection from animals.
In May 2022, mpox infections increased worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of global concern in July 2022, which then ended in May 2023.
But since last September, a new and deadlier Clade I strain has been detected in the DRC. Testing showed it was a mutated variant of Clade I, called Clade Ib. The WHO advised populations to continue to remain vigilant over the virus.
