MAKUENI ON HIGH ALERT AS MPOX CASES SURGE

Health officials in Makueni County are urging residents to remain vigilant as cases of Mpox continue to rise, placing the region among the most affected counties in the country.

According to County Chief Officer for Health, Dr. Harvey Mulei, the disease is spreading at an alarming rate, with new infections reported across the county.

He emphasized the need for residents to exercise caution in their daily interactions to curb further transmission.

The county epidemiologist, Dr. Pius Mutuku, confirmed that Makueni has so far recorded 36 cases, ranking it fourth nationally after Mombasa (193), Busia (69) and Nairobi (56).

He revealed that 80% of the local cases are concentrated in Kibwezi West sub-county, particularly along the busy Nairobi–Mombasa highway with Emali town emerging as the hotspot.

Since the first case was detected in July last year, the disease surveillance and public health team has been conducting contact tracing and collecting samples from suspected patients.

Dr. Mulei noted that while healthcare workers in the county have been trained to manage the disease with the support of partners, stronger interventions from the national government,local and international partners are urgently needed to contain the outbreak.

He added that plans are underway to scale up public awareness campaigns and establish isolation centres for confirmed cases.

Makueni County is also working closely with the North Star Alliance, to provide targeted health services to truckers, community and sex workers at Emali.

Clinical officer Kennedy Kibiwott from the organization highlighted that their peer-led model has played a critical role in reaching key populations that would otherwise avoid seeking screening and treatment.