NAIROBI: Kenya has detected its first case of mpox, the health ministry said Wednesday, as the regional East African bloc urged caution in the face of an outbreak.
The case of the viral infection was detected in a passenger at a border crossing in southern Kenya, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the person was traveling from neighboring Uganda to Rwanda through Kenya.
It followed an announcement from Burundi on July 25 of three confirmed cases, while the Democratic Democratic Republic of Congo on July 20 reported more than 11,000 suspected cases including around 450 deaths.
The outbreak triggered a warning on Monday from the eight-member East African Community (EAC), which called on countries “to educate their citizens on how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of mpox.”
The bloc would “convene a meeting of health experts to deliberate on the situation,” it said, without giving a date.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was first discovered in humans in 1970 in the DRC.
It has since been mainly limited to certain West and Central African nations, with people mainly catching it from infected animals, such as when eating bushmeat.
In May 2022, mpox infections surged worldwide, mostly affecting gay and bisexual men.
That surge was driven by a new subtype, dubbed Clade II, taking over from the Clade I subtype.
It prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022, which it then ended in May 2023.
But since last September, a new and deadlier Clade I strain has been spreading in the DRC. Testing revealed it was a mutated variant of Clade I, called Clade Ib.
The WHO recommends populations continue to remain vigilant over the virus.
Kenya reports first mpox case
https://arab.news/m7zd4
Kenya reports first mpox case
- The case of the viral infection was detected in a passenger at a border crossing in southern Kenya, the ministry said
- The person was traveling from neighboring Uganda to Rwanda through Kenya
Ten killed in Australia Bondi Beach shooting on Jewish holiday, two in custody
- Prime Minister Albanese calls Bondi scenes ‘shocking and distressing’
- Shooting occurred during Hanukkah celebration, Israeli president says
SYDNEY: Ten people were killed and around a dozen wounded when gunmen opened fire during a Jewish holiday event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, Australian officials said.
New South Wales police said two people had been taken into custody, and the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said one of at least two gunmen was among those killed.
Around a dozen people were taken to local hospitals after the shooting, a New South Wales ambulance spokesperson said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the incident “shocking and distressing,” adding that “emergency responders are on the ground and working to save lives.”
“I saw at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere,” 30-year-old local Harry Wilson, who witnessed the shooting, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Jewish people who had gone to light the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday on the beach had been attacked by “vile terrorists.” Australia has experienced a string of antisemitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was appalled by the shooting.
“These are the results of the anti-Semitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the anti-Semitic and inciting calls of ‘Globalize the Intifada’ that were realized today.”
One of the world’s most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists, especially on warm weekend evenings.
“If we were targeted deliberately in this way, it’s something of a scale that none of us could have ever fathomed. It’s a horrific thing,” Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told Sky News, adding his media adviser had been wounded in the attack.
Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on the beach and nearby park scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens could be heard. One video showed a man dressed in a black shirt firing a large weapon before being tackled by a man in a white T-shirt who wrestled his weapon off him. A different man was seen firing a weapon from a pedestrian bridge.
Another video showed two men pressed onto the ground by uniformed police on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers could be seen trying to resuscitate one of the men. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.
The attack came almost exactly 11 years after a lone gunman took 18 people hostage at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney. Two hostages and the gunman were killed after a 16-hour standoff.
A major Australian Muslim organization condemned the “horrific” shooting on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
“Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack,” the Australian National Imams Council said in a statement.
“This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity,” they added.
Sussan Ley, the leader of Australia’s opposition Liberal party, said the loss of life in the incident was “significant.”
“Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi,” she said.
