Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache has revealed that the Government has intensified screening at the border points to ensure that the deadly monkeypox ravaging Europe does not get its way into the country.
More than 100 cases reported mostly in Europe
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"Neither Kenya nor our sister countries in the region have registered any case. Even then, we have done all that is required already to stem possible spread in the country," said Mochache who is in Kisii for the Tobacco Farm function courtesy of the World Health Organisation.
Monkeypox is a virus that can cause symptoms including fever, aches and a distinctive bumpy rash. It is usually mild, although there are two main strains - the Congo strain - with up to 10% mortality – and the West African strain, which has a fatality rate in about 1% of cases.
The comment from Mochache comes barely hours after three more countries — the UAE, Czech Republic and Slovenia — reported outbreaks of the viral disease, with more than 100 confirmed or suspected infections mostly in Europe.
Six U.S. states have reported cases of monkeypox as of Wednesday, with California being the most recent state to report a single presumptive case. The other five states include Washington, New York, Massachusetts, Florida and Utah.
The number of confirmed cases of the monkeypox virus in France has risen to five, from three earlier in the week. The UK Health Security Agency on Tuesday reported 14 new cases of monkeypox in England taking the total number of identified cases to 70 since May 7.
Health experts have sustained a position that the risk to the general public is low, with the World Health Organisation describing the outbreak as “containable.”