Health experts have queried the effectiveness of self-quarantine in the management of Mpox disease, especially in high density residential areas, noting that some places are registering high cases from local transmission.
In separate interviews yesterday, epidemiologist Adamson Muula and health rights activists George Jobe and Maziko Matemba said poor management from homes could spiral up Mpox cases.
The reactions come on the back of an announcement by the Public Health institute of Malawi (PHIM) on Monday that two new cases were confirmed in Area 25 and Chilinde in Lilongwe, the same locations that have registered cases during previous reports.
Muula, a professor of public health and epidemiology at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, said while home management is ideal as it reduces health costs, it should be followed with proper civic education.
In a separate interview, Jobe, who is Malawi Health Equity Network executive director, said self-quarantine could prove risky in highly populated areas if not well supervised.
He said home management without proper infection control can lead to further spread of the disease within households and communities where families share small living spaces and sanitation facilities.
Another health rights commentator Maziko Matemba said focus should be on how to minimise the spread in areas that have registered cases and limit further damage.
He said during the election campaign period, there was a lot of movement which may have contributed to recent cases.
A 25-year-old nurse working at a private clinic in Area 25 in Lilongwe, who was diagnosed with Mpox, but later recovered from the viral disease, said before June 1, started feeling a headache and went to Area 25 Health Centre where he was diagnosed with Mpox.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe has said self-quarantine reduces cost and is being followed under strict guidelines provided by the World Health Organisation.
Malawi has cumulatively recorded 128 confirmed Mpox cases, with Lilongwe recording 106, Ntcheu five, Mzimba South four, Mangochi and Salima have three cases each, Karonga two while Blantyre, Nkhata Bay, Ntchisi and Zomba have each recorded one case. There have also been two cross-border confirmed cases.
Of the confirmed cases, 67 percent involve male patients while 33 percent are females.
