The Government has moved to reassure Kenyans that no case of Ebola Virus Disease has been reported in Kenya despite the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In an update issued through the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, officials said all suspected Ebola cases tested in the country so far have returned negative results. Still, the Ministry said it has activated the National Ebola Incident Management System as a precaution, with preparedness measures ramped up at both national and county levels.
Four laboratories have been designated for Ebola testing nationwide: the National Public Health Laboratory, KEMRI Nairobi, KEMRI Kisumu, and a mobile laboratory covering Busia and Bungoma counties.
The government said healthcare worker training, simulation exercises, and stakeholder sensitisation are ongoing, along with the operationalisation of isolation facilities and the stockpiling of personal protective equipment and infection-control supplies.
Surveillance has also been intensified at points of entry, where travellers and vehicles are being screened, and multi-agency teams led by the Kenya Defence Forces, the National Police Service, and National Government Administration Officers have been trained to monitor informal border crossings, truck-driver stopovers, and other high-traffic convergence points.
Mpox spreads to 40 counties
Beyond Ebola, the Ministry’s update said Mpox cases have now been confirmed across 40 of Kenya’s 47 counties, with Mombasa, Nairobi, and Busia recording the highest case numbers. Confirmatory laboratory testing of suspected cases is continuing, and the government said it has folded Mpox case management into routine healthcare services rather than treating it as a standalone emergency response.
Public health researchers tracking the East Africa Mpox outbreak have noted that Kenya and Uganda have recorded comparatively higher case fatality rates than some neighboring countries, even as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Burundi continue to see the most extensive transmission.
Dengue concentrated in the northeast
Dengue fever cases remain concentrated mainly in Garissa and Wajir counties, according to the Ministry, with several suspected deaths still under investigation. The government said it has strengthened coordination at county and sub-county levels, expanded laboratory testing at the National Reference Laboratory, and stepped up community engagement on prevention and transmission.
The scale of the outbreak appears larger than earlier figures suggested: case counts in Garissa’s dengue upsurge, ongoing since January, have climbed into the thousands, with the World Health Organization citing similarly high totals across the affected counties as of mid-year.
Measles active in five counties, no deaths reported
The Ministry also confirmed measles cases in Baringo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, and Garissa counties, describing them as among the most affected areas. No deaths have been reported in the current phase of the outbreak, officials said, though active case searches, enhanced surveillance, infection prevention measures, and community engagement have all been intensified.
APERIT FM, HII NI YETU
