Mpox outbreaks declared in Kenya and Central African Republic. The race is on to contain the spread.
Kenya and the Central African Republic have declared new outbreaks of mpox as Africa’s health officials race to contain the spread of the disease in a region lacking vaccines.
Kenya and the Central African Republic have declared new outbreaks of mpox as Africa’s health officials race to contain the spread of the disease in a region lacking vaccines.
Nairobi announced the outbreak on Wednesday, after a case was detected in a passenger traveling from Uganda to Rwanda at a border crossing in southern Kenya. The Central African Republic was the first to declare a new outbreak on Monday, saying it extends to its capital of Bangui.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus that originates in wild animals and occasionally jumps to people, who can spread it to others.
“We are very concerned about the cases of monkeypox, which is ravaging region 7 of the country,” the Central African Republic’s public health minister, Pierre Somsé, said Monday.
Mpox became a focus of worldwide concern during an international outbreak in 2022 that saw the disease spread to over 100 countries, and has been endemic in parts of central and west Africa for decades.
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