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Thursday, February 6, 2025
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MPOX reported in Mberengwa

By Savious Madanhire

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has confirmed Zimbabwe’s first Mpox case in Mberengwa, raising concerns in the Midlands region.

This comes as the country reports a second case in Harare, hence a notable report from Mberengwa highlights the need for increased vigilance in the province. Both confirmed cases are currently in home isolation and are stable, receiving appropriate care.

In a statement, Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. Douglas Mombeshora confirmed that Mpox was declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security by the Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) on 13 August 2024 and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 14 August 2024.

Therefore, there have been 7,535 confirmed cases and 32 deaths related to Mpox across Africa in 2024.

The Mberengwa case involves an 11-year-old male child who has a known history of traveling to South Africa in August 2024 and developed symptoms on 23 September 2024, after returning to Zimbabwe on September 10. The child is currently stable and no longer infectious hence seven contacts have been identified and are under monitoring.

The Mberengwa case is particularly concerning due to its rural location, which poses unique challenges for contact tracing and containment therefore the Ministry has activated its incident management system to contain the outbreak.

In addition to the Mberengwa case, a 24-year-old male with a travel history to Tanzania on 14 September 2024 also developed symptoms of Mpox in Harare. He returned to Zimbabwe on 21 September 2024 and began exhibiting symptoms on September 29.

However, he is also in isolation at home, stable and no longer infectious meanwhile contact tracing and monitoring are underway.

Mpox formerly known as Monkeypox, is a rare viral infection transmitted through close contact with infected individuals, animals, or contaminated materials. Symptoms may include fever, rash (that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside mouth, or other parts of the body especially hands, feet and chest), headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and respiratory issues (sore throat, nasal congestion or cough).

The disease typically resolves on its own within three to four weeks, although those with compromised immune systems may experience more severe symptoms.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has launched a comprehensive Mpox preparedness and response plan, which includes the activation of the National and subnational Incident Management Systems, ongoing training for healthcare workers on Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) and community awareness campaigns.

Enhanced surveillance at all ports of entry is also being conducted to monitor travelers, along with the establishment of isolation centers nationwide to manage potential cases.

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