LAWMAKERS on Wednesday grilled Health and Child Care deputy minister Sleiman Kwidini, demanding answers about the government’s response plan after two mpox confirmed cases were recorded in Harare and Mberengwa, respectively.
Hatcliffe MP Juliana Makuvire asked Kwidini to detail measures that have been put in place to prevent the spread of the virus in the country.
Kwidini claimed that Zimbabwe is well prepared for mpox and any other pandemic.
“Since we heard about that disease, we have had our surveillance teams which keep tracking and also screening the people who were travelling from other countries to come in the country so that we know if there are these symptoms from the people who are travelling,” the deputy minister explained.
Kwidini said infected people will be put in isolation to curb spread of the disease.
“There are several trainings being done in all areas of Zimbabwe, especially in the district hospitals, including the village health workers who are trained to see and quickly identify the signs and symptoms which were mentioned which present the mpox,” he said.
“Right now, there is contact tracing for those cases which have been confirmed on the people whom they have met and family members.
“So, as a country, we are very sure and we can assure the nation that each and every measure is being taken to make sure that there is no spread of this disease.”
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Mashonaland West Proportional Representation MP Mutsa Murombedzi demanded a comprehensive detailed response, while Kariba lawmaker Shine Gwangwawa asked if there was a budget to cater for healthcare workers dealing with mpox-infected patients.
Kwidini said healthcare workers did not need a token of appreciation to do their job.
“What is important is that we need PPE [personal protective equipment],” he said.
“We will need things that will protect people. We cannot focus on incentives more than the key things like PPE.
“Indeed, a token of appreciation is something which is not mandatory. You do not need a token of appreciation to do your job.”
Kwekwe Central legislator Judith Tobaiwa made a supplementary question on the long-term plan regarding recurring pandemics.
Kwidini said the government approaches pandemics as they come.
“We cannot foretell, after mpox, what is actually coming so that we can prepare for it,” he said.
“We cannot prepare for a pandemic which we do not know about.”
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation have declared mpox as a public health emergency.
Since the beginning of mpox monitoring in 2022, over 100 000 confirmed cases and over 200 deaths have been reported by more than 120 countries globally.
