NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 1 – The Ministry of Health has called for heightened public vigilance on Mpox as it reported a 34.6 per cent positivity rate with 33 patients currently admitted and 54 under home-based care.In a statement released on Friday, the Ministry confirmed that the country has recorded 314 cases out of 905 samples tested since the outbreak began in July 2024. Kenya has recorded 222 recovered patients with the case fatality rate standing at 1.6 per cent.The most affected counties include Mombasa (146 cases), Busia (63), Nakuru (21), and Nairobi (17). In the 24 hours leading to Friday, Afya House said health officials had confirmed five new cases — four in Mombasa and one in Nairobi.The Ministry further revealed that 422 contacts have been traced, with 392 currently under mandatory 21-day observation. So far, fifteen of the contacts have tested positive, raising concerns about possible community transmission.4.7 million travelers screenedKenya’s Mpox containment campaign has seen over 4.7 million travelers screened at airports and other points of entry, with suspected cases isolated for further investigation.“Samples drawn from suspected cases are tested at our National Public Health Laboratories (NPHL) and partner facilities,” the Ministry said.To strengthen response efforts, the ministry reported the deployment of multi-disciplinary Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) across counties to enhance healthcare worker capacity, conduct active case searches, trace contacts, investigate suspected cases, and manage confirmed cases.The Ministry urged Kenyans to strictly follow public health measures, including avoiding close contact with suspected or confirmed cases, using personal protective equipment like gloves, maintaining high standards of personal hygiene, reporting symptoms early, and self-isolating if infected.Afya House also advised the public to rely only on verified information from the Ministry’s official channels to avoid misinformation that could undermine containment efforts.“Reliable information can be accessed via the Ministry’s website at www.health.go.ke or through contact lines 719, *719#, 0729 471414, and 0732 353535. The public is further advised to disregard any misleading or false information that may hinder public health efforts or cause unnecessary fear and confusion,” Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said.