MSF Responds to Mpox outbreak in Mombasa, Kenya
August 11, 2025, Mombasa- Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is supporting the Mombasa County Department of Health in the treatment of patients of the Mpox disease at the Utange Field Hospital Isolation Centre in Mombasa. Since July 2024, Kenya has reported 336 Mpox cases in 24 counties, and Mombasa leads with 152 cases.
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MSF teams in Mombasa, in partnership with the county health authority, are providing inpatient care for patients with advanced Mpox and with other coexisting conditions. Our efforts focus on early diagnosis, effective treatment and continuous monitoring of patients.
Besides setting up the Utange isolation ward, we are also working to strengthen infection prevention measures, providing clinical and human resources support to the facility and nutritional support for the patients. Since the outbreak was declared, MSF has integrated general awareness about Mpox to its activities and provided training to 70 peer educators and sensitized 1,000 sex workers on Mpox recognition and referral for care.
Beyond these efforts, there is an urgent need for Mpox vaccination to reduce the spread of the disease. “We are glad to learn that the Ministry of Health has received Mpox vaccines. MSF is ready and willing to support vaccination efforts in Mombasa, and we urge the Ministry of Health to swiftly make vaccines available there, as well as in other counties with high caseloads,” says Laura Gómez Mantilla, MSF Country Director in Kenya. “Acting quickly will help protect communities and bring this outbreak under control.”
Mpox is a contagious viral disease characterized by rashes that can appear on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, or in the mouth, and can be accompanied by a fever, sore throat, muscle aches, skin lesions, or pain in the lymph nodes. Mpox can be transmitted from animals to humans, human to human and from contaminated environments to humans.
“Mpox symptoms are usually mild and last from two to four weeks, but more severe cases can occur if the disease is not treated in time. Mpox can lead to complications and even death, especially if the immune system is compromised by other diseases.” says Caroline Mugun, MSF Project Medical Referent in Mombasa.
We have also provided hygienists and health care workers in the response, and trained them on management of patients, integrated health promotion in other non-Mpox related activities, and donated medical and hygiene supplies.
“To effectively control the Mpox outbreak within communities, it remains urgent to strengthen community-level case detection and referral systems, and to address stigma through health education and outreach that encourages early care-seeking.” Caroline reiterates.
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NOTE FOR EDITORS:
MSF in Mombasa: Peer-led adolescent and youth health and well-being project
Since 2021, MSF has been partnering with Mombasa County Department of Health to implement the Adolescent and Youth Population (AYP) Strategy through youth-friendly services in three public dispensaries (Ganjoni , Junda and Bamburi), and community outreach activities in Kisauni, Nyali, and Mvita sub-counties. The project targets young people aged 10–24 years, including vulnerable groups such as street youth, persons with disabilities, and key populations often excluded from healthcare due to stigma and discrimination.