Kenya has not recorded any cases of the monkeypox as of yet but the government is on high alert, the Ministry of Health has assured.
Speaking in Kisii on Wednesday, Principal Secretary Susan Mochache said the government has heightened surveillance at all entry points in the country to prevent a potential outbreak.
PS Mochache said robust and proper response measures have been put in place in Kenya and the East Africa region.
“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,” she said.
The PS said there is no cause for alarm as the Ministry of Health is equipped to deal with any eventuality.
“We have nothing to fear, we are going to use the same surveillance mechanisms we used during Covid19 to respond to the monkeypox outbreak. We have the capacity to test,” Mochache said.
Monkeypox has been reported in at least 15 countries outside of Africa, with more than 100 cases confirmed in Europe, the Americas and Australia.
The virus is mainly spread through close skin to skin from the lesions of an infected person. Experts say monkeypox does not tend to spread easily and the illness is usually mild.
Patients usually recover within 2-4 weeks.
