Truck drivers, business people most vulnerable to Mpox, MoH

Trucks on a queue at Malaba border on January 20, 2024. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard] Truck drivers remain the most vulnerable group prone to Mpox disease, according to the latest update by the Health Ministry. Speaking during a media briefing on the disease on Thursday, the Deputy Manager of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, Dr Michelle Wangui, said the latest survey puts truck drivers at high risk followed by business people and female commercial sex workers. She added that secondary school students and other professionals are also among those at high risk. "We should be very concerned about it. As a country we have recorded one death from one of the vulnerable groups we have mentioned," Wangui said. According to the public health expert, while most of the patients recover from the disease, some populations are vulnerable - including young children, pregnant mothers and people who are immunocompromised. People with compromised immunity include those living with HIV, which is not well controlled. She added that although the disease manifests through skin lesions, sometimes they happen in the mouth causing one to experience difficulties with eating and drinking. "The lesions can get infected and the infection can spread through the blood, what we call sepsis. And sometimes even the eyes can get infected and people can get loss of vision. So while most cases of Mpox are fairly mild and the people recover, it can be quite serious, and we should be very concerned about it," she noted. Wangui's sentiments come as the latest statistics indicate that so far 32 patients have recovered from the disease with one more patient still under home-based care. Females are more affected than males with sexual contact being one of the primary transmission mediums. Dr Wangui said there are two types of Mpox virus with Kenya grappling with clade 1 which makes the disease to be more severe than clade 2. Caroline Ndung'u, the Director of Kenya Long Distance Truck Drivers Union said the drivers are at high risk because they have multiple sexual partners along the highway corridor. "It is important to look at their contacts and their family at home so that we can have it controlled among all these populations," said Ndung'u. She said the union has so far established resource centres along the highway corridor, mostly at the weighbridges and border points to handle the disease. Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni. [Maryann Muganda, Standard] Ms Ndung'u said, "We invite you to utilise these centres because they are easily accessible for truckers at border points and weighbridges," she said. She said the main challenge has however been the truck drivers cannot stop along the highways as they need enough space for parking. Her sentiments were echoed by the World Health Organisation-Kenya Representative Dr Abdourahmane Diallo who said misinformation associated with stigma remains a major challenge to efforts being put in place to prevent the disease. Diallo said Mpox remains a global public health concern with Kenya being among the high-risk countries. He said although WHO's primary focus has been on prevention and raising awareness to protect community well-being, several changes have eroded some of the gains made. "While we have made significant progress in controlling the disease, we continue to face challenges with misinformation and associated stigma. The media plays a crucial role in addressing these challenges," said Diallo. Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said as a result, the Ministry of Health plans to launch a targeted Mpox vaccination campaign. The initiative she said will focus on high-contact areas and populations most at risk of transmission, aiming to control and prevent further spread of the disease. UNICEF country representative Luigi Daquino said UNICEF recognises the growing threat of acute health events. "We are collaborating with government and WHO partners to mobilise resources for affected counties, support healthcare interventions and Raise awareness about disease risks," said Daquino adding, "Special focus should be placed on children and adolescents, who are not immune to these outbreaks."

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