Surveillance Heightened At Points Of Entry In Kenya Over Monekypox Virus Outbreak

KISII, Kenya, May 25- The government has heightened surveillance at all points of entry to the country, amidst the monkeypox virus outbreak in parts of Europe.

Health experts say the countries that are reporting monkeypox now are countries that do not normally have outbreaks of the virus.

More than 250 cases have been reported in at least 16 countries, according to the World Health Organization.

Experts say it is spread by close and prolonged contact with an infected individual.

Kenya’s Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache on Tuesday said the government has heightened all the necessary measures to curb the disease, and was ready in case of an outbreak in the country.

“We have nothing to fear. We are going to use the same surveillance mechanisms we used during Covid19. We are going to reactivate the same mechanism to respond to the mankeypox outbreak,” she said.

The PS noted Monkeypox outbreak is going on in Europe.

Initially, there disease was largely known for affecting West African countries.

“Within a period of one to three or seven days you start experiencing, a rush fever, muscle aches and some bigger chickenpox like symptoms which are not itchy but painful,” she said.

Monkeypox is endemic near tropical rainforests in central and west Africa, but it has increasingly been seen near urban areas, according to WHO.

In the United States, the first case of monkeypox in 2022 was diagnosed in a patient hospitalized in Massachusetts who had recently traveled to Canada in private transportation. In 2021, two people traveling from Nigeria to the US were diagnosed with the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases in other parts of the world than Africa are typically linked to international travel or imported animals infected with the pox, the CDC said.

What are the initial symptoms of monkeypox? There is an incubation period of some seven to 14 days.

Initial symptoms are typically flu-like, such as fever, chills, exhaustion, headache and muscle weakness, followed by swelling in the lymph nodes, which help the body fight infection and disease.

Next comes a widespread rash on the face and body, including inside the mouth and on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

The painful, raised poxes are pearly and fluid-filled, often surrounded by red circles. The lesions finally scab over and resolve over a period of two to three weeks, the CDC said.

In the current outbreak, there appear to be a higher number of cases causing rash in the groin area of patients, according to the WHO and CDC.

Overall, monkeypox risk is moderate for people with multiple sexual partners and low for the broader population, according to a rapid risk assessment report published Monday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

However, monkeypox is not considered a sexually-transmitted disease.

Close contact with an infected individual is required for the spread of the monkeypox virus, experts say.

Infection can develop after exposure to “broken skin, mucous membranes, respiratory droplets, infected body fluids or even contact with contaminated linen.”

There are no specific drugs available to treat the symptoms of monkeypox, so “treatment is generally supportive.

However, a vaccine is available that can be given to prevent the development of disease.