Victoria Falls, a major tourist destination, is considered to be at high risk for an Mpox outbreak due to its proximity to the border and the significant presence of cross-border truckers.
According to VicFallsLive, stakeholders convened on Wednesday to strategise on preparedness for any potential outbreak, especially given the tourism sector’s struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
The meeting, organised by the Victoria Falls City Council’s health department in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, aimed to educate stakeholders and share crucial information about the disease.
Participants included government departments, port authorities, and representatives from the private sector.
The stakeholders emphasized that preparedness is essential for preventing the spread of Mpox in Victoria Falls.
Fungayi Musinami, Hwange District Medical Officer, said the meeting served primarily as a sensitization exercise to ensure accurate information is disseminated to all involved. She said:
Our biggest concern as Victoria Falls is trucks movement through Victoria Falls and Kazungula borders from as far as DR Congo.
It emerged during the meeting that the presence of same-sex commercial sex workers and cross-border truck drivers makes the chances of the spread of the virus high. Added Musinami:
As a city, that will be the thrust of our response to start from. Another aspect of the response is men having sex with men and the truck stop where a lot is happening.
Khaliphani Tshuma, Victoria Falls City Council safety and health officer, said that it was important for citizens to get correct information from credible sources. Said Tshuma:
Symptoms can take up to 21 days to manifest and include swollen lymph nodes, rash, headache, muscle ache, back pain, low energy, sore throat, and fever.
Rash and blisters are common on the face, palms, feet, groin, genitals, mouth, throat, anus, rectum eyes, and privates.
The virus can spread through physical contact with an infected person or through mouth-mouth or a mother-to-child at birth.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) recently declared Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), respectively.
More: Pindula News