Residents urged to take precautions as Mpox case is confirmed in Busia

By Peter Ochieng

Residents of Busia have been urged to take precautions, after a case of Mpox was confirmed in the border County on Friday.

Busia Deputy Governor Arthur Papa Odera who doubles up as County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health and Sanitation said they are working closely with the National Government, through the Ministry of Health to ensure the disease does not spread.

“In the meantime, we urge our people to remain on high alert and observe all the guidelines provided by the ministry of health to curb the spread,” said Odera in a statement.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed recording the second case of Mpox disease in the country. Cabinet Secretary (CS) Debrah Mlongo Barasa in a statement said the patient, an adult male truck driver, was identified at the Malaba One Stop Border Post in Busia County.

He showed symptoms after travelling from the outbreak epicentre, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"The Ministry wishes to inform the public of a second laboratory-confirmed case of the disease in the country; an adult male truck driver who presented to the Port Health screening desk at the Malaba One Stop Border Post- Busia County with salient symptoms of the disease and a history of travel to the epicentre of the outbreak in DRC," said the CS.

The patient, she said, has been isolated and is under active management in one of our health facilities in Busia County. "The ministry emphasises that our health facilities are adequately staffed and well-equipped to diagnose and manage this disease and therefore its identification should not be a cause for alarm," she added.

She added that a total of 42 samples have been submitted to laboratories for Mpox disease testing, out of which 40 samples have tested negative for the disease. The first case of the disease in the country was confirmed on July 31, 2024.