By Kelly Napolo:
Malawi has registered one suspected case of mpox virus, barely a week after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda made the announcement Wednesday, when she announced that they initially suspected that the country had two cases.
She said the cases were of people based in Blantyre, one aged 31 years while the other case was of a 17-year-old boy.
Kandodo Chiponda said the man had been isolated at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) while the 17-year-old boy was being managed at home.
Later in the evening, she revealed that tests conducted at Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme laboratories had indicated that one case was not of mpox.
Results of tests on the other case were yet to be announced as we went to press.
Addressing journalists in Blantyre City, Kandodo Chiponda urged Malawians to follow preventative measures such as washing hands frequently and refraining from physical contact.
“Mpox has a vaccine. We are still trying to negotiate with the World Health Organisation so that we can also access it.
“However, the disease has no cure. As such, we are urging everyone to protect themselves,” Kandodo Chiponda said.
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In an interview, QECH Director Kelvin Mponda said the two cases should not cause unnecessary alarm among Malawians.
“We are working hand-in-hand with the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme,” Mponda said.
Meanwhile, the ministry has said it has started preparing health personnel by offering them training in how to identify mpox.
In addition, officials said the ministry had started scanning people at borders and airports to ensure that medical personnel detect any case of mpox before it starts spreading.
WHO indicates that from the onset of this year, Africa has detected 17,719 cases of mpox and recorded 517 deaths in 13 countries.
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by monkeypox virus, commonly abbreviated as MPXV. It can spread from person to person or occasionally from animals to people.
The monkeypox virus was discovered in 1958 in Denmark among monkeys kept for research and the first reported human case of mpox was that of a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970.
Currently, 90 percent of cases of mpox are from the DRC.
According to WHO, mpox’s common symptoms include a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last two to four weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
WHO adds that mpox can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone who is infectious, with contaminated materials or with infected animals.
Furthermore, it says laboratory confirmation of mpox is done by testing skin lesion material by PCR.
“Anyone can get mpox. It spreads from contact with infected persons, through touch, kissing, or sex; animals, when hunting, skinning or cooking them; materials, such as contaminated sheets, clothes or needles; pregnant persons, who may pass the virus on to their unborn baby,” it says.
In the 2022 outbreak that happened in the United States,, more than 32,000 cases were reported and 58 people died of the disease.
In a related development, the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) has announced the provision of $35 million (approximately K63 billion) to mpox outbreak response efforts in African regions that have been affected by the disease.
In a statement released yesterday, the agency says the funds are meant to bolster efforts that are being made to put the disease at bay.
“Today, the United States, through USaid, announced up to an additional $35 million in emergency health assistance to bolster response efforts for the clade I mpox outbreak in Central and Eastern Africa, pending Congressional Notification. This new commitment brings the total US government support for the Democratic Republic of Congo and other affected countries in the region to more than $55 million (about K99 billion) in response to this outbreak,” it says.
Since 2023, the DRC has been experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of clade I mpox.
“[However], this outbreak has extended beyond the DRC, with several other countries in the region reporting cases in 2024, including countries where mpox has historically not been reported.
“In response to elevated concerns about further international spread and its potential impact on regional and global health security, the World Health Organisation recently declared [the disease] a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) issued its first-ever declaration of a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security,” the statement reads.
The support of the United States, through USaid, includes the donation of 50,000 doses of Jynneos vaccines to the DRC.
This week, the Ministry of Health announced that Malawi was on high alert following WHO’s declaration of mpox as a global health emergency.
Secretary for Health Samson Mndolo said while no cases had been reported in Malawi, the country was taking proactive steps to prevent the disease’s spread.
Mndolo added that health authorities were closely monitoring the situation and enhancing surveillance at all borders.
“We have developed a preparedness plan for mpox and need to bolster the capacity of health workers and procure additional supplies.
“We also need to intensify risk communication and community engagement to involve the public in the response to a potential outbreak,” Mndolo said.
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