By Staff Reporter
With Mpox cases currently on an upward trend in Africa, Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has issued an alert warning citizens to be vigilant and exercise extreme caution in the face of an impending crises.
The number of Africa countries that have reported the Mpox outbreak have risen to 14 with the last being Guinea in West Africa. M-Pox (formerly known as Monkey Pox) in non-endemic countries, has also bee reported in neighbouring South Africa.
M-Pox is a rare viral infection endemic to Central and West Africa, spreading through close contact with infected people, animals or materials. Symptoms include fever, rash, headache, muscle ache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and respiratory problems.
While no cases have been reported in Zimbabwe, the Ministry is taking proactive measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
“We urge the public to take precautions by avoiding contact with infected animals or materials, isolating infected patients, practicing good hand hygiene, and using personal protective equipment when caring for patients.The Ministry has placed its structures on high alert and is conducting preparedness and response activities to ensure a swift and effective response if needed. We reassure the public that we are closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as necessary.”
Meanwhile, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been at the centre of an outbreak of the new clade 1b variant, with 18,000 suspected cases and 629 deaths this year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The variant has also been found in Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Sweden and Thailand.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that the first Mpox Vaccine doses should arrive in the DRC “within days” but similar statements were recently made regarding donated shots from the US, which did not materialise on time.
