Nairobi – Kenya’s Ministry of Well being declared an Mpox outbreak on thirty first July 2024 after the primary case of a truck driver was detected and remoted in Taita-Taveta county. As of twelfth December 2024, 28 confirmed Mpox circumstances have been reported throughout 12 counties with 18 (64.3%) recoveries, 9 (32.1%) admissions and one (1) dying, case fatality fee (CFR) of 3.6%
To boost the nation’s coordinated response, operational readiness and capability for immediate interventions to the continuing Mpox outbreak. The Ministry of Well being with assist from the WHO Emergency and Preparedness Program carried out an Intra-Motion Evaluate (IAR) to evaluation the nation’s response to the outbreak and determine greatest practices, challenges, sensible areas for fast remediation or continued enchancment. This IAR led to the event of a sensible plan of motion for operationalization and implementation of Mpox outbreak preparedness and response plan.
The IAR collectively assessed the prevailing response capacities and actions, recognized milestones, documented classes and challenges throughout all response pillars at nationwide and subnational ranges. Gaps had been recognized whereas greatest practices had been harnessed for institutionalization among the many outbreak counties. An motion plan was developed to information a approach ahead for deliberate actions that allotted duties and timelines of implementation. The workshop had 120 members who included 60 well being specialists within the cadres of county illness surveillance coordinators, vaccination logisticians, clinicians, port well being officers, emergence operation centres (EOC) managers, threat and communication specialists from 13 outbreak and high-risk counties of Busia, Bungoma, Nakuru, Kericho, Uasin Gishu, Taita Taveta, Machakos, Makueni, Kilifi, Kajiado, Kiambu, Nairobi and Mombasa.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Daniel Langat, the pinnacle of division of illness surveillance and response (DDSR) within the MOH emphasised on “the necessity for enhancing coordinated response mechanisms on the nationwide and county ranges by means of the prevailing incident administration system, adoption of present tips, enhancing communication and strengthening capacities in surveillance, diagnostics and case administration for efficient response to the outbreak”.
There was cross-cutting evaluation and evaluation of seven consolidated response pillars: i) Surveillance, case investigation and call tracing; Factors of Entry (POE); Fast Response Coaching (RRT) ii) Coordination, planning and monitoring response iii) Danger communication, neighborhood engagement, and infodemic administration; iv) Case administration and therapeutics, An infection Prevention and Management (IPC), Psychological Well being, and Psychosocial assist (MHPSS) v) Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH)/ Secure and Dignified Burials (SDB) vi) Operations, Logistics and Assist (OSL), Vaccination and entry to medical countermeasures vii) Nationwide Public Well being Laboratory system and sub nationwide laboratory programs.
Primarily based on the importance of affect and feasibility of implementation, 35 response actions had been recognized for precedence implementation within the subsequent six months, they broadly embrace; cascading of built-in mpox trainings, harmonization of surveillance instruments, deployment of fast response groups (RRT), Operationalization of the County Public Well being Emergency funds, improve cross border coordination, institution of case administration models/isolation centres, prepositioning of laboratory provides, neighborhood advocacy and sensitization and deployment of vaccines in excessive threat populations.
In her closing remarks, Dr. Grace Ikahu, Director of Public Well being in Kenya’s MOH noticed that for profitable interruption of neighborhood transmission and containment of the outbreak “there may be pressing want for capability constructing of frontline healthcare employees at nationwide and county ranges to quickly detect and successfully reply to Mpox circumstances, focus must be on built-in HIV- Mpox syndemic administration and wish for strengthening useful resource mobilization initiatives by means of partnerships and collaborations. Advocacy and neighborhood engagement by integrating college well being programmes will present a wider neighborhood safety”.
Mr. Nasorro Mwanyalu, the Mombasa County Illness Surveillance coordinator famous that “the IAR was well timed as it’ll go a good distance to enhance their response, particularly on coordination and collaboration amongst counties, enhancing contact tracing, energetic case discovering and case administration whereas optimizing pattern assortment, specimen referral and well timed laboratory prognosis”
The profitable implementation of the IAR relied on technical steering from nationwide MOH and well being sector companions from US CDC, UNICEF, Kenya Pink Cross, MSF, Africa CDC, AFENET, FELTP, FAO, Savannah Informatics, AMREF, GOARN, KEMRI, MTaPs. The exercise was carried out by means of the beneficiant monetary assist from USAID Kenya in the direction of strengthening Mpox response in Kenya.