Earlier warned, saves lives from peril.
As Uganda on Friday announced detection of two cases of Mpox “imported” from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan is next destination of the product.
According to the World Health Organisation, Mpox, known as monkeypox, transmits through close contact with infected animals or humans, contaminated objects, and respiratory droplets, and causes symptoms including skin rash, fever, intense headache, muscle aches, back pain, weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.
In around April, the DRC reported its first cases of disease, then Burundi, while, Kenya’s Ministry of Health declared a case on Wednesday, last week, following its detection in Taita Taveta, southeast of the country’s capital of Nairobi.
How the disease travelled from DRC to Kenya is not a mystery but through human contact, either by air in a plane or road in a vehicle.
The Ugandan six suspected infections in Mpondwe and Bwera, towns bordering the DRC, are obvious, the frequent interactions of people from the two countries.
One sample from a 37-year-old Ugandan woman married to a Congolese national and a 22-year-old Congolese female who tested positive for the viral disease. This gives us the third route that the disease takes to travel.
Though East African Community (EAC) on Monday, last week issued an alert, urging its eight member states to educate citizens on protecting themselves and preventing the spread of mpox, we are yet to get our menu from the national government.
We could be talking about Mpox in DRC, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya, not knowing that the invasive virus might have used shortcuts long before the news from other countries.
Apart from proximity to the Democratic Republic of Congo and sharing a lot in common, South Sudan is also home to citizens from most East African countries. This raises the chances of the disease making an easy way into the country.
South Sudan is prone to Mpox entrance. It could be by plane through Juba International Airport, vehicles through the borders, or on foot along the various routes and porous borders.
An alert is alert, we have sounded! Let every citizen take responsibility to report suspected cases of the viral disease, than waiting to be drained of good health.