Malawi prepares against Mpox disease
Ministry of Health said it has intensified efforts to prepare against the emergence and spread of Mpox disease in the country.
The Ministry’s deputy director of community & promotive health responsible for health promotion, Dr. Kondwani Mamba made the remarks in Mponela, Dowa during a media orientation on Mpox status in the country.
Mpox cases have been reported in nearby Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Africa, posing a significant threat to Malawi.
Fortunately, according to Dr. Mamba, the country has had only 46 Mpox suspected cases which proved negative to the disease, after laboratory tests.
However, he emphasised that Malawi needs to be vigilant against this global health threat as the country is very much at risk.
“As a Ministry, we are most prepared, having intensified, among others, clinic screening of people especially in points of entry like borders and airports as well as those going to Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
“We have increased surveillance system to make sure that laboratory investigations are done and responded quickly for the suspects”.
Currently, according to Mamba, the Ministry and its stakeholders are sensitising communities to empower them with knowledge about Mpox, including measles and cholera.
He further disclosed that trainings for health workers in all facilities are being done to capacitate them to identify and treat even the symptoms of Mpox.
“This way, the disease will be controlled before the upsurge of cases in the country.
“We are also working in collaboration with the Veterinary Department through One Health approach, since Mpox is transmitted from animals to human beings.”
One of the participants of the media training, Joseph Mazizi, from Capital Radio, said the even was significant as it equipped journalists with knowledge to report in a manner that raises awareness about Mpox among communities.
“If we understand the issues, we will relay the correct information to communities and not mislead them,” he said.
Earlier, Ministry of Health public relations officer, Adrian Chikumbe highlighted preventive measures for the public to adhere to, including avoiding sharing of beddings and clothes with people showing signs of Mpox.
He also discouraged touching and eating animals that have died on their own.
Mpox is a disease caused by a virus, with symptoms like fever, rush, swelling of lymph nodes, chills, headaches, among others.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education says it is working closely with the Ministry of Health to prevent Mpox as well as cholera outbreaks in schools as learners enter the third week of the first term of the 2025/2026 school year.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA), the Ministry’s spokesperson, Mphatso Nkuonera said on Tuesday that they received a report of cholera and Mpox outbreaks in some parts of the country.
In July, the Ministry of Health warned of the Mpox outbreak of Mpox — formerly known as monkey-pox — a disease caused by infection with a virus, known as monkey-pox virus.
“We are aware of the outbreak, and we know that all of them spread fast, but they are preventable and curable,” he said. “We want to remind teachers, school administrators, school committees, chiefs, mother groups, religious leaders, and other stakeholders to play a role in preventing any outbreak and that we should work together to protect learners.”
Nkuonera said the Ministry will continue working with the Ministry of Health and other partners to protect learners from the outbreaks at all costs, saying: “The last time we had CoVID-19 in this country, we closed our schools for the whole term because we took advice from the Ministry of Health.
“We shall continue monitoring the situation and will listen to the Ministry of Health. Whatever they advise, we will do according to such advice.”
Nkuonera thus appealed to parents to take precautionary measures in protecting their children against any possible outbreak as the Ministry of Education continues to monitor the situation.
Health expert, Mphatso Ngulube Chikwaza said there was a need to take all precautional measures, adding that first priority should be adhering to the best hygiene practices in our schools.
“Stakeholders in schools should make sure that water is available so that learners should use it to clean their hands, furthermore, teachers should teach learners to practice hygiene all the time,” she said, adding that overcrowding of learners in most public schools becomes a challenge in disease prevention and control.
He, however, said there is a need to teach learners best hygiene practices such as consistent hand washing: “School administration should make sure that water is available in schools, and this should be a priority so that when we tell learners to wash their hands they should know where to get water.”
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