Truck driver tests positive for Mpox in Malaba

A long-distance truck diver has tested positive for Mpox in Malaba, Busia county.

Teso North Sub County Diseases Coordinator Kelvin Tangara said the driver is admitted to Kocholia Sub County Hospital. 

“We need to put in place measures to curb further outbreaks of the disease in the porous border town. It entails keeping social distance. Unfortunately, it was not enforced here today,” said Tangara.

The first Mpox case was confirmed in Kenya on July 31, 2024, and as of January 17, 2025, the country had recorded 33 cases.

The country is on alert, given the disease has been reported near its borders with Tanzania and Uganda. Mpox is a viral disease that causes fever and skin lesions.

The disease spreads through close physical contact, including sexual contact, or touching contaminated objects. The World Health Organisation declared Mpox a global health emergency in August 2024.

According to UNICEF Kenya Humanitarian Situation Report, as of October 31, 2024, 11 out of 47 counties in Kenya had reported at least one confirmed case of Mpox.

Some 4 cases were confirmed in Nakuru, Taita Taveta, Busia, Nairobi, Mombasa, Makueni, Kajiado, Bungoma, Kilifi, Uasin Gishu, and Kericho counties with one death registered.

Addressing mourners at the burial of Mercy Kezia Barasa in Malaba, Tangara said health officials at the Malaba were on high alert following the outbreak of Mpox and Marburg diseases in the neighbouring countries.

He warned that the possibility of Marburg outbreak in the border town of Malaba was high because it was along the busy northern corridor, linking Mombasa Port and the hinterland.

Marburg virus disease (MVD) symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, and a rash. Symptoms can worsen over time and may include bleeding, shock, and organ failure.

According to WHO Marburg virus is a severe disease clinically similar to Ebola disease. With no approved treatments or vaccines for MVD, early intervention is crucial for improving survival rates.

On January 10, 2025, WHO reported that Marburg’s viral disease had broken out in the Kagera region, Tanzania. Five out of the six people infected with suspected Marburg disease died.