Attachments
This Weekly Bulletin focuses on public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African region. This week’s articles cover:
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Gastroenteritis in Kenya
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Measles in South Africa
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Mpox in Africa
For each of these events, a brief description, followed by public health measures implemented and an interpretation of the situation is provided.
A table is provided at the end of the bulletin with information on all new and ongoing public health events currently being monitored in the region, as well as recent events that have been controlled and closed.
Major issues and challenges include:
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A gastroenteritis outbreak at a girls high school in Kakamega County, Kenya caused panic for the school population and was subsequently closed due to external pressures over the increasing number of students reporting similar symptoms. The students were forced to leave dispersing to their various Counties of residence without identifying a causal agent of the outbreak. Kakamega County health authorities are now faced with tracking and monitoring students throughout the country as they continue with further investigation. Overall, laboratory findings have not identified the cause of the outbreak making the reopening of schools difficult since guidance has to remain comprehensive.
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The ongoing Measles outbreak in South Africa has been declared in all the provinces except for the Eastern Cape. The government has instituted several response measures to control the outbreak. Although reactive vaccination has been conducted in the affected provinces, there is need to strengthen routine immunization, as this will forestall near future outbreaks.