The Kenyan government has confirmed the country’s first Mpox case at a Taita Taveta border point with Tanzania.

The virus was detected in an individual who was travelling from Uganda to Rwanda through Kenya, Kenyan local media have reported.

This comes weeks after Kenya issued a travel advisory to all counties and border entry points to prevent spillover from the recent outbreaks of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo where thousands of people infected as of June.

According to medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), DR Congo has recorded more than 12,300 suspected cases and 479 deaths in the first half of this year.

In a statement, the Kenyan Ministry of Health did not disclose any more information about the individual but advised Kenyans to be vigilant and wash their hands often in order to reduce risk of infection.

“Wash hands often with soap and water or hand sanitiser. If you have symptoms, seek health advise and avoid close contact with other persons…avoid close contact with persons with suspected or confirmed disease,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“Person-to-person transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or other lesions such as in the mouth or on the genitals. The disease can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets.”

The virus is endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as forested areas in East, Central and West Africa.

The Central African Republic has become the latest country in the region to declare an outbreak of the mpox virus, the BBC has reported.