Mpox: Two people dead as Mombasa intensifies surveillance amid rising cases

Mombasa has intensified surveillance and activated the county's public health emergency operations centre in the wake of an upsurge of Mpox cases in the months of June and July.

Two people have lost their lives as a result of the viral disease, with Mombasa accounting for 98 out of 226 cases reported in the country.

The majority of the cases are from Nyali and Changamwe, the youngest case being that of a 12-year-old patient.

The county government of Mombasa has designated Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, Utange branch, as the isolation centre.

"What is happening right now — there is a lot of active community transmission, kuambukizana within the community. It's because the community has not accepted that it's within the community,” said Mohammed Anith, a Public Health Official.

Twenty-four patients are currently admitted. A total of 159 samples have been tested, with 98 turning positive, 60 negative, and one result pending.

"Kwa hivyo tunahamasisha jamii: ukipata rashes au upele ambao hauelewi, enda katika kituo kilichoko karibu uhakikishe umeonekana na daktari,” said County Health Emergency Response Officer Fatma Ali.

Technical Advisor, USAID Stawisha Program Vincent Omoth added, “I would like to see the public taking precautions and also talking about Mpox enough, because people feel Mpox is not very risky."

The county health department says it has deployed staff trained to handle outbreaks like this across the port city of Mombasa.