Africa-Press – Mozambique. The national director of public health in Mozambique on Wednesday called for panic and disinformation about mpox to be avoided in order to combat discrimination that may arise against patients.
“We make a very strong appeal for there to be no disinformation, for there to be no panic, because, for example, in Maputo province, if you remember, we had a case of mpox in 2022 that was perfectly controlled without any kind of disinformation (…). It is important not to discriminate against patients with mpox,” said Quinhas Fernandes during a press conference in Maputo.
The appeal comes at a time when Mozambique has recorded 31 cases of the disease in three provinces, of which 13 have recovered, with no reports of deaths, indicating that mpox remains non-lethal.
Fernandes said that the number of suspected cases of mpox “will tend to increase”, a situation which, according to the professional, shows the surveillance capacity of the health authorities, adding that it is natural to activate a “maximum alert”.
“On the one hand, we have an increased ability to suspect cases, which is good from a surveillance point of view, and we are managing to test all cases, most of which (…) are negative,” said the official.
The director of Public Health reiterated that the country is prepared to deal with the disease, noting that all Mozambican provinces have the capacity to isolate positive cases, if necessary.
Mozambique will receive vaccines in September to contain a possible spread of mpox cases, the government announced today.
“The Ministry of Health, starting next month, will be receiving a certain type of vaccine to ensure that it remains in stock so that, in cases of prevention and counselling, it can be used in the most appropriate cases,” said Cabinet spokesman Inocêncio Impissa, responding to questions from journalists at the end of the weekly meeting of that body in Maputo.
Last week, Mozambican authorities announced increased border surveillance, with screening and testing teams, to stop the spread of mpox cases, also pointing to community screening as the best method to stop the disease.
Health authorities also assured that Mozambique is prepared to deal with mpox, with a capacity for 4,000 tests, carried out locally, having already used more than 150 in this outbreak.
Mpox is a zoonotic viral disease first identified in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the current outbreak in southern Africa since 1 January, 77,458 cases of the disease have been reported in 22 countries, with 501 deaths.
The first case of mpox in Mozambique occurred in October 2022, with one patient in Maputo. The leader of COESP, an agency of the National Directorate of Public Health, points to the testing capacity that now exists in the provinces, with 4,000 tests available and 1,000 for reagent analysis to identify strains of positive cases, as the major change in three years.
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