Govt on monkeypox

Talent Gore

The Government has activated health response systems to keep track of, and detect monkeypox in the country, Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Dr John Mangwiro, has said.

Dr Mangwiro said health authorities were continuously conducting tests for the disease.

“As Government, we are on the lookout for this,” he said.

“We have very strong surveillance systems, we have EHTs (Environmental Health Technicians) who specifically check out these symptoms.

“We also take blood samples from people, time and again, to make sure that we do not miss it and this is how we are doing it.”

Dr Mangwiro said currently there are no cases of monkeypox reported in the country.

“Currently, no cases have been reported in Zimbabwe, but we are monitoring the evolving situation of the outbreak in other countries with keen interest,” he said.

“We are now even on high alert because there have been some cases which are being reported in other African countries.”

Monkeypox is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some animals.

Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that forms blisters.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says it was in the process of procuring thousands of monkeypox tests for Africa.

However, WHO is not recommending mass vaccination at this stage.

WHO Africa director, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said the continent should be prepared for vaccination if the need arises.