Kenya will benefit from a Sh2 billion fund that donors are putting together to fight the spread of Mpox, a viral disease that has become a global health concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already released about $1.5 million (Sh193.5 million) from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies and plans to release more in the coming days.
While only one Kenyan has tested positive for Mpox so far, the case was identified at the Taita Taveta border post, and experts believe there are likely more sick people who have not been tested.
The Ministry of Health has convened a crisis meeting to craft a plan to prevent a wider outbreak, including measures such as rapid laboratory testing, community engagement, infection prevention control, and comprehensive case management.
The WHO has declared the increasing spread of Mpox in Africa a global health emergency, warning that a deadlier version of the virus might spill across international borders. In the past month, more than 100 laboratory-confirmed cases of the deadly clade 1b have been reported in four countries neighboring the Democratic Republic of Congo that have not reported Mpox before: Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, has accelerated its engagement with manufacturers, including Bavarian Nordic, for potential direct procurement of Mpox vaccines to support outbreak response.
The organization also plans to establish a global stockpile of Mpox vaccines, similar to its existing stockpiles for cholera, Ebola, meningitis, and yellow fever vaccines, beginning in 2026.
The funding and efforts to combat the Mpox outbreak in Kenya and the region are crucial to prevent the further spread of this viral disease and protect public health.
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