… Subscribe to our newsletterAccording to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 14,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease annually in Kenya. …
Ukwala families battle sickle cell stigma despite improved access to healthcareKenya Minute.
Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Kenya’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Tuesday, 12 May 2026
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Kenyan press · Organization
World Health Organisation
WHO — international health organization addressing hantavirus outbreak response and negotiating pathogen data access policies affecting African nations.
In coverage
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
- April 2026
World & Region
Three new hantavirus cases confirmed aboard cruise ship MV Hondius
The News
Three new positive hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship have been confirmed by health authorities as the final six passengers disembarked. Three passengers who travelled on the ship have died, with two laboratory-confirmed as hantavirus infections, though global and African health authorities report no evidence of local transmission in Africa and say public health risk remains low.
12 May 2026 · The Standard →
Monday 11 May
Three new hantavirus cases confirmed aboard cruise ship MV Hondius
Three new positive hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship have been confirmed by health authorities as the final six passengers disembarked. Three passengers who travelled on the ship have died, with two laboratory-confirmed as hantavirus infections, though global and African health authorities report no evidence of local transmission in Africa and say public health risk remains low.
12 May 2026 · The Standard →
Yesterday
WHO chief seeks to allay hantavirus outbreak fears
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has issued a rare personal message to calm fears over a reported hantavirus outbreak, as global disease-response practices remain shaped by memories of the Covid-19 pandemic.
11 May 2026 · The Standard →
Kenya, African leaders reject free pathogen data access
Kenya and African leaders are rejecting a system that treats their genetic pathogen data as free, citing lessons from HIV and Covid-19 crises. With negotiations over the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system deadlocked at the WHO, civil society groups are demanding a legally binding framework instead of what they describe as a "days of charity" approach.
11 May 2026 · The Standard →
Tuesday 5 May
Kenya faces critical shortage of midwives and nurses
On International Midwives Day, the Midwives Association of Kenya revealed that the country faces a critical shortage of midwives and nurses, with over 50% shortages in many sub-county hospitals. The shortage, worsened by emigration and high turnover, leads to severe burnout, increasing maternal mortality, and compromised women's care.
6 May 2026 · The Standard →
Andes hantavirus strain confirmed in South African cruise evacuee
The Andes strain of hantavirus, which can transmit between humans, has been confirmed in a cruise ship passenger evacuated to South Africa, according to the health minister. Three people from the ship have died; the WHO reports two confirmed and five suspected cases, with South African authorities tracing nearly 90 contacts from a flight that transported a deceased Dutch woman.
6 May 2026 · The Standard →
Monday 4 May
Three cruise ship passengers die from suspected hantavirus outbreak
Three people have died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius in the Atlantic Ocean, with at least one other passenger in intensive care in South Africa and five additional suspected cases under investigation, according to a World Health Organisation announcement.
5 May 2026 · The Standard →
Saturday 2 May
Flower farm chemicals linked to ENT infections in Naivasha
A sharp increase in ear, nose and throat infections among flower farmworkers and children in Naivasha has been attributed to exposure to agricultural chemicals, cold conditions, and poor sanitation around Lake Naivasha. An ENT specialist noted that prevalence is disproportionately high among flower farm workers due to prolonged chemical exposure.
3 May 2026 · Capital News →
Sunday 26 April
Ruto urges Africa to boost domestic financing, local medical production
President William Ruto called on African countries to ensure self-sufficiency in medical supplies and health commodities, emphasizing that Africa's health systems must be financed by both domestic and international capital and that the continent must become an active architect rather than passive participant in global health. He highlighted the need for a radical shift focusing on policy leadership, technology, and mobilisation of domestic resources.
27 April 2026 · Citizen Digital →
HPV vaccination should expand to boys and adults in Kenya
Medical experts argue that Kenya's HPV vaccination programme should shift from vaccinating only girls aged 10 to 14 to include boys and adult women, as vaccinating boys reduces transmission of the virus and protects girls, according to public health evidence from other countries.
27 April 2026 · The Standard →
Kenya among 12 countries closing immunisation gaps globally
Kenya is participating in the Big Catch-Up initiative, launched in 2023 to reach unvaccinated children under five and close immunisation gaps widened by Covid-19 disruptions. The multi-year campaign has reached an estimated 18.3 million children across 36 countries and administered over 100 million vaccine doses between 2023 and 2025.
27 April 2026 · The Standard →
Ukwala families battle sickle cell stigma despite improved healthcare
Sickle cell patients in Ukwala, Siaya County face social stigma and isolation at school despite better access to treatment at Matibabu Foundation Hospital. An 18-year-old patient and her mother describe years of misdiagnosis, pain crises, and peer rejection, though improved care has helped the teenager feel better.
27 April 2026 · The Standard →