Rumbidzayi Zinyuke, Senior Health Reporter
Health authorities are closely monitoring contacts of two Zimbabweans who recently tested positive for Mpox, a viral infection that has spread globally from African equatorial forests.
The two cases, detected in Harare and Mberengwa, remain isolated and stable.
Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora confirmed that seven contacts of the 11-year-old Mberengwa patient had been identified, while efforts are underway to trace more contacts of the 24-year-old patient in Harare.
"We have not had any more cases, but we have increased our surveillance," he said.
"But Mpox has got a long incubation period, which is from four days to 21 days. Therefore, we are still monitoring the contacts of those two patients. We don't know whether there will be some people who then turn positive or not."
Dr Mombeshora said none of the seven contacts being followed up in Mberengwa had shown symptoms. However, owing to the high mobility in Harare, the exact number of the contacts for the patient there was still being determined.
The Minister said the long incubation period of Mpox and the mild symptoms that often accompany the infection could delay detection of cases.
"If somebody crosses through our borders into Zimbabwe, we are at times not able to pick up anything. Because the symptoms of high fever, headache, general body malaise, body aches, muscle pains and at times even vomiting and diarrhoea can take as long as three weeks.
"So we may not know until that period is up. Mpox is also a self-limiting disease; someone can develop symptoms and heal without going to a health facility," he said.
Mpox is a rare viral infection caused by a virus that is endemic in Central and West Africa. It spreads through close contact with people, animals or through materials infected with the virus.
Mpox was declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organisation in August after a new clade 1b strain of the viral infection spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries.
Dr Mombeshora said the strain recorded in Zimbabwe is yet to be determined.
"At the moment, it's work in progress because we sent some specimens to South Africa where we want them to be classified.
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"So, I really cannot say at the moment which clades affected our two patients. What I can assure you is that we have enough reagents to test more than 500 people.
"You should not be afraid of this disease but you should know the preventive measures," he said.
Dr Mombeshora encouraged Zimbabweans to continue practicing good hygiene and to seek medical help should they experience any unexplainable symptoms.
According to the Africa CDC, the African region has surpassed 40 000 suspected cases and 1 000 deaths in 18 countries. A majority of the cases have been identified in the DRC.
