By Staff Reporter
THE Health and Child Care Ministry has confirmed M-Pox outbreak in neighboring South Africa in a development likely to trigger fears considering the brisk movement of goods between the two nations.
M-Pox (formerly called Monkey Pox) is a rare viral infection that is endemic to Central and West Africa. It spreads through close contact with people animals or material infected with the virus.
Symptoms of M-Pox can include fever, rash, headache, muscle ache, backache, swollen lymph nodes, Chills exhaustion, and sore throat cough.
M-Pox is a virus which is part of the same family of viruses as small pox and symptoms are similar but it is not related to chicken pox.
It usually lasts two to four weeks. Currently, there is no proven, safe treatment for monkey pox virus infection.
However, the disease can be prevented through avoiding contact with animals that could harbor the virus, avoiding contact with any materials such as bedding, which has been in contact with a sick animal or person, isolating infected patients from other who could be at risk for infection, not sharing eating utensils or cups with a person with Mpox and hand washing.
“The Ministry wishes to reassure the public that currently no case have been reported in Zimbabwe and is monitoring the evolving situation of m-pox outbreak. The Ministry has also placed its structures on high alert and is conducting preparedness and response activities.
“The public is urged to report suspected cases to the nearest health facility as soon as possible or use our toll free line 2019,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
