NAIROBI, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health, in collaboration with partners, is finalizing plans to roll out vaccination against mpox as the country has so far recorded 36 cases, including one fatality, officials announced on Thursday.
Speaking at a media briefing in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Mary Muthoni Muriuki, principal secretary in the Ministry of Health, said the vaccination campaign will prioritize high-risk groups such as long-distance truck drivers, frontline healthcare workers, and immunosuppressed individuals.
Muriuki noted that the vaccines will complement other preventive measures, including enhanced surveillance, timely diagnosis, and quality treatment.
Kenya reported its first mpox case in July 2024 at the border with Tanzania, Muriuki said, highlighting the disease's ongoing public health threat in the East African region due to high levels of human mobility.
Vaccine procurement will be carried out in partnership with multilateral organizations, while trained community health promoters will lead public awareness campaigns to encourage vaccine uptake among vulnerable groups, she said.
She also confirmed that the Kenyan government has invested in supportive infrastructure, such as cold chains and reliable power supplies at health facilities, to ensure the smooth rollout of vaccinations.
Kenya has developed a comprehensive mpox vaccination strategy based on international best practices, said Sultani Matendechero, senior deputy director at the Ministry of Health.
He warned that cases might rise in the near future and stressed that the government would use third-generation mpox vaccines, which have proven safety and efficacy. Priority will be given to contacts of infected individuals and frontline health workers in hotspots such as ports of entry.
Kenya is among the African countries set to benefit from centralized mpox vaccine procurement through multilateral agencies and donors, according to Hentsa Haddush Desta, national coordinator for the Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Center of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Desta explained that vaccines will be allocated based on national caseloads, adding that Africa requires 10 million doses, with some countries already beginning inoculations. ■