Kenya Receives 10,700 Mpox Vaccines From Africa CDC And WHO To Combat Ongoing Outbreak

The Ministry of Health, Kenya, announces the arrival of 10,700 doses of the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) Mpox vaccines to control the ongoing Mpox outbreak. These vaccines have been received through collaborative efforts by the Government of Kenya with support from Africa CDC, World Health Organization, UNICEF, and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

The arrival of the vaccines marks a significant milestone in the national response to interrupt the chain of transmission and limit further spread of Mpox in the community. Vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions, saving millions of lives annually, and is used globally to promote public health, prevent and control outbreaks, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases.

The Mpox vaccination will be used as an additional public health measure, as part of the comprehensive Mpox outbreak response, in addition to other outbreak interventions to control the outbreak, such as enhanced surveillance, including at the 26 points of entry, contact tracing, testing of suspected cases, as well as risk communication and community engagement.

This additional intervention is coming in response to the recent upsurge in Mpox cases in the country, causing a sharp rise of 100% in cases, which has doubled the disease burden since 31st December 2024.

Since the declaration of the outbreak on 31st July 2024, a total number of 67 Mpox cases have been confirmed so far from across 13 counties. The affected counties include: Busia (22), Mombasa (12), Nakuru (10), Makueni (6), Bungoma (3), Nairobi (3), Kajiado (2), Taita Taveta (2), Kericho (2), Kilifi (2), Kiambu (1), Uasin Gishu (1), and Migori (1). Of the reported cases, forty-nine (49) patients have recovered, ten (10) are currently admitted, and seven (7) are under home-based care. One (1) death has been reported, bringing the case fatality rate to 1.5%.