Namibia on high alert for mpox
Health ministry executive director Ben Nangombe says Namibia is closely monitoring the mpox outbreak in neighbouring South Africa.
“Our health care centres are prepared to treat a person and isolate them if they should pick up a case. The fact that we are picking up measles or rabies outbreaks is because our surveillance [systems are] strong. We are continuing to monitor, but so far we have not picked up any mpox apart from the measles picked up in the Erongo Region recently,” he said. Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions that can last two to four weeks, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
More than 97 000 cases and 186 deaths were reported across 117 countries in the first four months of 2024, according to global health authorities.
- Jemima Beukes
“Our health care centres are prepared to treat a person and isolate them if they should pick up a case. The fact that we are picking up measles or rabies outbreaks is because our surveillance [systems are] strong. We are continuing to monitor, but so far we have not picked up any mpox apart from the measles picked up in the Erongo Region recently,” he said. Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions that can last two to four weeks, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
More than 97 000 cases and 186 deaths were reported across 117 countries in the first four months of 2024, according to global health authorities.
- Jemima Beukes
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