- The government has issued an order asking Kenyans to avoid eating wild meat due to the spread of Mpox disease in the country
- Tourism Minister Rebecca Miano noted that zoonotic diseases, whether bacterial, viral, or parasitic, spread through direct contact or through food, water, or the surrounding environment.
- This announcement follows one day after the Ministry of Health confirmed the second case of Mpox in the country
The government through the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has issued an order to warn Kenyans against handling or eating wild meat due to the rapid spread of Mpox disease in the country.
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What did the government say about wild meats?
In a press release, Tourism Minister Rebecca Miano noted that zoonotic diseases, which can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic, spread through direct contact or through food, water, or the surrounding environment.
“Therefore, being properly advised by the relevant authorities within the National Department of Wildlife under the supervision of the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, I call on all Kenyans to stop taking or eating wild meat immediately. This request comes following reports of cases of infection of Mpoxis in the country,” he said.
He also confirmed that the Wildlife Service of Kenya (KWS) and the Wildlife Training and Research Institute (WRTI) are collaborating with the Ministry of Health as part of the national Mpox management team, which is currently receiving updates on the outbreak.
Miano added that Veterinarians within these organizations are closely monitoring the situation and are in a state of alert following reports of the recent Mpox outbreak in the area.
“In any case, the public should remember that the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act No. 47 of 2013 prohibits poaching and hunting of wild meat,” said the Prime Minister.
The government confirms the second case of Mpox
This comes a day after the Ministry of Health confirmed the second case of a patient suffering from Mpox in the country.
The ministry reported that the patient, who is a truck driver, was found at the Malaba border station in the county kiss.
He showed symptoms after traveling from the epicenter of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The patient was isolated and is under intensive care at a health facility in Busia County.
More monitoring of existing cases has been strengthened in the area in all counties to ensure the spread of the disease is controlled.
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