Kenya has confirmed its first mpox case in Nairobi, involving a traveler currently in quarantine, according to the health ministry. This brings the total infections in the country to three.
The patient, a 30-year-old woman who arrived from Uganda a week ago, is isolated in a Nairobi hospital and is in stable condition. This marks the first outbreak of the disease in Nairobi, which has a population of 4.4 million as per the 2019 census.
Two other patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals near the southwest and eastern borders. Seventeen contacts are under close observation, and the health ministry highlighted this case as evidence of their effective disease management.
Seven samples are being tested for the virus, which can be transmitted from infected animals to humans and spread human-to-human through close contact. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, and skin lesions, with an increasing risk of death.
The resurgence of mpox and a new strain identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), named Clade 1b, led the World Health Organization to issue its highest international alert on August 14. The Africa CDC also declared a public health emergency due to the rising outbreak on the continent.
Cases are increasing in the region, with outbreaks in Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, as well as detections in Asia and Europe. As of August 27, Africa reported at least 22,863 suspected cases and 622 deaths. The WHO noted that Africa had 5,281 confirmed mpox cases from early 2024 until August 25, with the DRC accounting for 90% of those cases this year.