Monkeypox is an imminent threat in some southern African countries, including Mozambique, which has a suspected case.

Malawi has already registered two suspected cases since the beginning of last week.

Last Friday, the government of that country introduced compulsory monkeypox screening on all its borders, including the one it shares with Mozambique, according to "O País".

Visitors from Malawi will now have to go through screening at airports and border posts.

So far, two suspected cases of smallpox are awaiting laboratory results and the country is preparing for the possibility of a disaster scenario.

According to the newspaper, a mobile diagnostic unit has been set up at a hospital in Lilongwe, the Malawian capital.

As part of the mitigation measures, the authorities have also launched smallpox awareness campaigns, especially through community health networks.

For the time being, screening at points of entry remains the first line of defense, so that cases of smallpox can be detected quickly and treated with the necessary urgency.

Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 21 cases of the fatal disease were confirmed on Sunday, according to the country's health minister, quoted by the international press.

Photo DR