No Monkeypox in Zimbabwe yet, Government confirms

No Monkeypox in Zimbabwe yet, Government confirms

Pretty Manyewe

Government of Zimbabwe has confirmed that no case of Monkeypox has been detected in the country despite widespread fears that the highly contagious disease could soon spread into the country from South Africa.

This follows rent discovery of the disease in South Africa where the only victim to date has no travel history. This was announced at Post Cabinet Briefing by the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa.

“There are no cases of Monkeypox reported in Zimbabwe. The country has, however, put surveillance, laboratory testing and case management measures in place in preparation for any potential outbreak. The public is urged to put emphasis on implementation of Public Health and Social Measures that are currently being used for COVID-19 such as regular washing of hands and social distancing, since these measures have been proven to also work for Monkeypox,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

The current Monkeypox outbreak has so far been detected in 42 countries, mostly European, with South Africa being the latest and first country in Africa to report a case.

Despite no cases having been reported in the country yet, Government is enforcing measures to curb any potential outbreak. Most measures are a reiteration of those that were used and still being used in the Covid-19 pandemic as they have been proved to be effective.

She went on to outline the measures to be put in place saying,

“Zimbabwe should remain vigilant and strengthen COVID-19 testing at all levels. Provinces should come up with innovative strategies to increase vaccination coverage and focus on the elderly and those with underlying chronic health conditions. Implementation of all COVID-19 public health and social measures must be continued. Our country must take advantage of lessons learnt from the COVID-19 response and mount a strong Monkey Pox preparedness and response strategy. The Risk Communication Sub-Committee must immediately embark on a Monkeypox information dissemination exercise.”