Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has appealed Kenyans to desist from handling or consuming bushmeat with immediate effect in the wake of the Mpox threat, with Kenya having confirmed its second case on Friday.
Ms Miano said that although reported cases are isolated, the prevailing situation may spread if Kenyans fail to heed cautionary counsel from experts.
Medical and animal health experts say Mpox is a zoonotic viral disease that is communicable between wild animals and human beings.
According to the experts the spread of zoonotic ailments — be they bacterial, viral or parasitic — occurs through direct contact or food, water or the environment and is of significant public health concern globally.
Ms Miano said the main root cause of the spread of the disease involves interaction among human beings, livestock and wild animals.
“In this day and age of dire consequences of extreme climate change ebb and flow, host-vector-pathogen dynamics are likely to result in unprecedented disease emergence and re-emergence, I urged Kenyans to stay away from bushmeat,” said the CS.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) are working closely with the Directorate of Veterinary Service and the Ministry of Health to stop further outbreaks of Mpox in the region.
Ms Miano said veterinarians in these state agencies are closely monitoring the health status of both human and wildlife populations.
“We are on high alert following reports of a recent Mpox outbreak in the region. KWS and WRTI are part of the national Mpox management team currently receiving updates on the breakout,” said the CS in a statement.
The second confirmed patient is an adult male truck driver who presented to the Port Health screening desk at the Malaba One Stop Border Post- Busia County with salient symptoms of the disease and a history of travel to the epicentre of the outbreak in DRC.
Mpox has already been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Other diseases associated with consuming bushmeat include coronavirus, ebola, salmonellosis, rabies, anthrax, brucellosis, Rift Valley Fever, swine respiratory disease, myiasis, avian flu, tetanus, and cysticercosis among others.
The CS said his ministry and relevant agencies are on high alert and shall continue to sensitise communities living adjacent to wildlife zones and conservancies to avoid bushmeat.
The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act No. 47 of 2013 prohibits bushmeat poaching and hunting.
“The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, therefore, wishes to encourage all stakeholders and the public, in general, to observe and adhere to guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health on Mpox and report suspected cases to the relevant authorities as soon as possible,” added Ms Miano.
