Teso North Sub-County on Tuesday held a sensitisation forum in Amagoro ahead of a 10-day MonkeyPox (Mpox) campaign scheduled to kick off Wednesday, September 3, 2025.
Kenya recorded its first Mpox virus in July 2025, with the majority being truck drivers and with Busia County recording 60 cases so far.
Matayos Sub County so far leads with 28 reported cases while Teso North has recorded 20 cases, Teso South 10, Nambale and Butula have reported one case each. However, Teso Central and Butula have recorded no case yet.
Stakeholders were informed that the large number of reported cases in Matayos and Teso North was attributed to the two areas domiciled within the Northern Corridors of Busia and Malaba, respectively.
Mpox is a viral disease transmitted through contact with an infected person, including their bodily fluids, contaminated personal items such as clothing and utensils.
Teso North Sub-County public health officer, Judith Ekanusu, said Mpox symptoms can appear between 2 to 21 days after infection, adding that key symptoms include skin rash, fever, sore throat, headache, body aches, back pain and swollen lymph nodes.
Ekanusu told the community to avoid close contact with individuals showcasing Mpox symptoms and avoid sharing personal items like towels, utensils, and clothing among other personal effects.
“They should also wear protective gear while caring for someone with Mpox symptoms, wash hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitiser when soap is not available, improve ventilation in closed spaces and disinfect shared surfaces regularly.
Kamolo Assistant County Commissioner, Mercy Walela, officially opened the consultative forum that was sponsored by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
She underscored the need to mitigate severe effects of the disease outbreak just like during other epidemics adding that at the moment Kenya can’t close its borders due facilitation of trade with its neighbours but urged Kenyans to observe strict hygiene measures to combat the pandemic.
Mpox and Non-Communicable Diseases Coordinator, Gloria Ojune, emphasised that the disease can only be transmitted if one gets close to a transmitted person.
Gloria noted that the primary infections of Mpox are through human to animal with secondary infections being human to human and mothers to children’s infections.
She noted that people with suppressed immunity (low immunity) like the elderly persons, people living with HIV, children under the age of 5, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and those with underlying conditions like hypertension and diabetes are at a higher risk.
Ms Ojune said elaborate measures have been implemented at the Malaba One Stop Border Post with the provision of scanners to detect people with high temperatures associated with the MPox virus.
Ms Gloria said the only isolation centre in Busia County at Alupe during the Covid-19 pandemic and other ailments like Ebola was rejected by the local community, forcing each of the eight sub- counties to go autonomous.
“With that scenario, the Koccolia Sub-County hospital became an isolation centre despite limited space, relegating the activity to a section of the male ward.
“There is an urgent need to build an isolation centre at the Malaba Health Centre; which is spacious instead of using home care methods to accommodate people with cross-border diseases like Ebola and Marburg,” she said.
She added, “In view of the fact that there are hundreds of female and male sex workers in Malaba, the government has only availed 1500 vaccines to Teso North which is not sufficient, noting that the vaccination is targeting long distance truck drivers, turn boys, mechanics, clearing agents, healthcare front workers, female, and male sex workers.
Gloria added that should the vaccination exercise end before the 10-day period, prevention measures must continue. She disclosed some of the side effects of the vaccine, which include pain, itching, swelling at the site of the injection, fatigue, headache, chills, joint pain and muscle aches.
Ms Ojune noted that in case of multiple side effects, those vaccinated should visit the nearest health facility and in case of fever an individual can use paracetamol.
By Absalom Namwalo
