The Ministry of Health has heightened surveillance following the Monkeypox outbreak in neighbouring South Africa.
In a statement, the ministry’s spokesperson Christopher Nyanga said Monday that Botswana is yet to register any case of monkeypox, but their teams are on high alert since the disease has been confirmed in neighbouring South Africa.
“The Ministry has noted the confirmation of a Monkeypox case in South Africa, by the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD),” said Nyanga. He said the institute reported that the case involves a 30-year-old male residing in the Gauteng province, with no recent travel history.
“To date, Botswana has not recorded any confirmed case of Monkeypox,” said Nyanga.
He added: “The Ministry wishes to inform Botswana and residents of this country that it has heightened its surveillance and response mechanisms across the country.”
According to the statement, the Ministry’s surveillance and response teams are undertaking a range of preparedness and response planning activities to ensure optimal response, should the need arise.
“The Ministry therefore, implores the public to be vigilant and to visit the nearest health facility if they experience symptoms like unexplained skin rash with one or more of the following: fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle ache, weakness and back pain,” said Nyanga.
He said as a reminder Monkeypox is a disease caused by the Monkeypox virus. It can be spread from infected animals such as rodents and monkeys to humans.
“It is transmitted from one person to person through close contact with infected respiratory droplets, skin lesions or contaminated objects. Contact often occurs during prolonged, face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contacts such as kissing, cuddling or sexual intercourse,” said Nyanga.
He concluded thus; “The Ministry wishes to advise Batswana and all residents to remain calm, as the situation is being monitored.”
South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, confirmed that a case of monkeypox has been identified through laboratory testing at the NICD on Wednesday, 22 June 2022. The case involves a 30-year-old male residing in the Gauteng province. He reports no recent travel history. Contact tracing has commenced, identifying any additional linked cases of monkeypox in South Africa.
Reports indicate that Monkeypox is a rare viral infection in humans. Since May 2022, monkeypox has been reported in more than 3 000 individuals from several European countries, the USA, Canada, Australia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
