BY BAYANDA NKATHA
Zimbabwe has confirmed two cases of Mpox, a rare viral infection formerly known as Monkeypox, according to Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora.
The cases were reported in Harare and Mberengwa, and both patients are in stable condition, receiving appropriate care.
The first case involves an 11-year-old boy who traveled to South Africa in August and returned on September 10. He developed symptoms on September 23 but is no longer infectious and is being cared for in isolation. Seven contacts have been identified and are being monitored.
The second case is a 24-year-old man who traveled to Tanzania on September 14 and returned on September 21. He developed symptoms five days later and is also no longer infectious, with contact tracing underway.
Minister Mombeshora assured the public that the situation is under control and there is no need to panic.
“The Ministry of Health and Child Care wishes to inform the nation that Zimbabwe now has two confirmed cases of Mpox, one in Harare and another in Mberengwa. Both cases are in isolation at home and are receiving appropriate care. Both cases are stable and recovering,” he said.
He encouraged anyone with symptoms to report to the nearest health facility immediately. “Preparedness and response plan is already in place, and activation of incident management systems is done,” he added.
Mpox is a rare viral infection caused by the Mpox virus, which is endemic in Central and West Africa.
It spreads through contact with people, animals, or materials infected with the virus. Symptoms include fever, rash, headache, muscle and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and respiratory symptoms such as sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a public health emergency of international concern on August 14.
Africa has reported 7 525 confirmed cases of Mpox and 32 deaths so far.