A recent history of disease outbreaks in Kenya, 2007-2022: Findings from routine surveillance data

Background Africa reports the highest number of outbreaks in the world, accounting for 39% of all outbreaks in 2022. The Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response strategy in Kenya ensures the reporting of outbreaks at the national level. We present a summary of the burden of reported disease outbreaks in Kenya, 2007–2022. Methods We reviewed historical surveillance data, 2007–2022. We summarized the annual caseload and deaths of the reported outbreaks per county. We classified the outbreaks into 3 categories i.e., high, moderate, and low burden. We conducted the Mann-Kendall test to detect trends in the number of outbreaks and counties reporting over time. Results Twenty-three outbreaks were reported. COVID-19, cholera, epidemic malaria, leishmaniasis, and measles were associated with high disease burden. The highest number of outbreaks reported in a single year was 10. Garissa, Nairobi, Nakuru, Wajir, Mandera, and Mombasa, had the majority of the outbreaks and caseload. Conclusion There was an increase in the frequency and magnitude of outbreaks. This highlights the complex public health landscape and the vulnerability of the country to epidemics. The differences in outbreak occurrence among counties necessitate targeted and enhanced preventive, preparedness, and response interventions at the sub-national level to reduce the burden of outbreaks.