Malawi begins screening for mpox at all points of entry

LILONGWE,  Malawi 

Malawi has begun screening for mpox at all ports of entry in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.

The move comes just days after the first two suspected cases were registered in the country and are currently awaiting laboratory test results.

This includes a 31-year-old male who is being treated in hospital and a 17-year-old boy who is receiving care at home.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the epicentre of a more deadly strain of the virus that emerged last year and has subsequently spread to more than 10 other African states.

Just over a week ago, the World Health Organization declared the spread of the new strain of mpox a public health emergency of international concern.

Africa’s top public health agency on Wednesday said some countries on the continent could start vaccinating against mpox within days.

While Malawi says it is planning for a worst-case scenario, not everyone will be vaccinated against the virus.

"It's not given to just everyone like we are doing with the Covid-19 vaccine or other vaccines, this is only reserved for those who are at a very high risk," says Adrian Chikumbe, spokesperson for the Malawi Ministry of Health.

The decision to screen visitors to the country is part of a raft of preventative measures which includes an awareness campaign, especially through community health networks.

It has also set up a mobile diagnostic unit at a hospital in the country's capital, Lilongwe.

"My advice to people is that, when you meet a person or see someone who has mpox, please avoid any contact with them and also avoid contact with any materials that people with mpox have used," says community health worker, Carol Luka.

Malawi is one of the few Southern African countries that have so far managed to avoid an a mpox outbreak.