Kenya Red Cross Society officials hand over medical supplies to the County Government of Mombasa Department of Health officials to handle Mpox cases./KNAMombasa County has ramped up its Mpox surveillance and response measures amid rising cases.
The exercise is being conducted in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) to curb further spread.
Since last year’s outbreak, 182 cases have been confirmed across Mvita, Nyali, Kisauni, Likoni, Jomvu, and Changamwe, according to the Department of Health Services.
Manager of Public Health Emergency Operations, Department of Health Services Fatma Ali said that Nyali and Likoni Subcounties have recorded the highest number of cases, with the most affected age group being 25-44 years.
The youngest case is a four-month-old baby.
“If you look at the mode of transmission, we have identified that there is community transmission going on, which is why there is a need for us to heighten the response activities at our county level,” Ali said.
The Emergency Operation Centre is active and is swiftly responding to the cases. The samples are tested locally. Previously, they used to be sent to the National Public Health Laboratory.
Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital-Utange Field Hospital in Kisauni Subcounty has been designated to handle MPOX cases up to the recovery stage.
“This care also includes the mental and psychosocial well-being of these patients. Additionally, we have the risk communication and community engagement pillar, where we can talk to the community through media engagement through the CHPs to speak about the Mpox outbreak and prevention measures,” Ali said.
The Manager affirmed that Mombasa is well prepared to respond to Mpox as it strengthens risk communication and engagement to ensure the residents are aware of the disease.
At the Utange Field Hospital, where an Mpox Isolation unit has been set up, strict protocols are enforced from the gate, where suspected Mpox patients first meet Community Health Promoters (CHPs) who assess the symptoms before they usher the patients to the red zone area in a triage where there is a clinician and a nurse.
If the patient is eligible for admission after the vitals are taken, the patient is admitted to the secluded unit.
“All admissions processes take place in the red zone; nothing comes out,” Eva Odhiambo, a clinician, said, adding that there are four nurses and a clinician on a shift to take care of the patients.
“We don’t just treat MPOX in isolation; we treat other comorbidities too,” she said.
She noted that patients are normally discharged when the lesions have crusted and new skin has started forming, when the patients can no longer transmit the disease.
Odhiambo explains that they are currently managing the symptoms as there are no antivirals to manage the disease, but medics are treating the symptoms like lesions, itchiness and pain.
Ophthalmologists and Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Specialists are on standby to handle cases of blindness and deafness and ear infections, respectively.
“Mpox is serious as it comes with stigmatization, while COVID-19 is something that you couldn’t see and tell if somebody has it, but Mpox is written on you and comes with a lot of stigma. That is one of the challenges that the patients are facing,” stated the clinician.
On her part, KRCS County Coordinator Aisha Al-Hussain said they have deepened collaboration with the County Government and other stakeholders to train CHPs and conduct sensitization.
The Red Cross has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), medical supplies, and items for the set-up of an isolation centre.
“We are working with the CHPs in doing door-to-door sensitization. As of today, I can confirm that in the last 20 days, we have reached more than 12,000 community members in collaboration with the County Government,” she said.
