Mpox treatment is supportive only, Luvindao says
Minister calls for stronger emergency health funding
Health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao says treatment for mpox remains largely supportive, stressing that the virus is self-limiting and that no proven drug exists to cure it instantly.
Responding to questions from members of parliament this week regarding how the ministry is handling confirmed cases, Luvindao said: “It is a virus, and so the treatment of a virus is supportive therapy. That’s why, oftentimes, when you have flu, doctors will tell you that you’re not supposed to get antibiotics, because it doesn’t treat a virus.”
The minister further explained that current medical evidence has not identified any medication proven to cure mpox.
“Research has not proven any other treatment that is effective in the treatment thereof. That’s why I referred to the incubation period and the time during incubation when they are still infectious, whereby they must continue to be isolated, because there is no one drug... that we can procure to get rid of it in one day,” she said.
Luvindao emphasised that the body is capable of fighting off the infection without aggressive medication. “It is self-limiting, and therefore after a few weeks, which I highlighted, the patient will no longer be infected,” she noted.
On-the-ground preparedness
She told MPs that the supportive therapy includes pain control and monitoring of symptoms.
"Yesterday, I was in Swakopmund, on the ground, in the hospital, so I was able to see where the patient is being isolated, where the patient is being treated, as well as their treatment chart, which confirms, as I mentioned, the treatment plan, the treatment protocol, and how the ministry is currently treating patients that have been confirmed positive," Luvindao said.
On the issue of testing, the minister clarified that the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) remains responsible for mpox testing across the country.
"We swab, and then we send it to NIP, which is able to do the testing in 24 hours,” she explained.
Addressing questions on the financial preparedness of the health sector, Luvindao acknowledged that while there is a budget in place for public health and disease surveillance, more needs to be done to ensure readiness for future outbreaks.
“The ministry has a budget that is utilised in terms of public health, particularly for surveillance, monitoring and all of that. However, we ought to do more to ensure that there’s a particular budget for incidents like this that is not only for the entire public health sector but that is particularly for emergency conditions,” she stressed
“One of the things the past years have shown us is that it doesn’t inform us that it’s coming, but it happens,” she said, urging parliament to support sustained investment in health emergency preparedness.
Two cases
According to the minister, the ministry has received a report of two confirmed cases of mpox from Swakopmund.
The first was confirmed on 18 October, and the second was officially confirmed on Tuesday.
The patients are receiving comprehensive treatment at the Swakopmund District Hospital and are in isolation, the minister said.
"I wish to highlight that the first case was related to cross-border travel within the SADC region, and then the second case was reported today. With that said, I wish to importantly highlight that the suspected cases include one from Rundu, who has not been confirmed as a positive case," she added.
She added that robust surveillance systems include individuals who are tracking signs and symptoms consistent with mpox so that possible cases can be promptly identified, allowing for testing and treatment.
Misinformation about transmission
Luvindao said the signs and symptoms of the disease include, but are not limited to, fever, intense headache, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, and a rash that appears some days after the onset of symptoms and turns into blisters and crusts over time.
"The rash tends to be centralised or concentrated on the face, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet, and then the mouth, genitals and eyes might also be affected."
The symptoms and the skin rash generally last for about two to four weeks. During this time, a person can transmit the infection to others.
The minister also underlined that there has been a lot of misinformation about how mpox is transmitted.
"It is not only transmitted through sexual contact. Also, it can be transmitted face-to-face through close contact, talking and breathing; skin-to-skin touching; sex; mouth-to-mouth through kissing; mouth-to-skin contact; and then respiratory droplets or short-range aerosols from prolonged close contacts," she explained.
Ulcers, lesions and sores in the mouth can also be infectious, meaning the virus can spread through saliva.
Transmission can also occur via the placenta from mother to foetus, which can lead to congenital mpox, or through close contact during and after birth.
"Mpox can infect anyone, and it is not associated with any particular group of people or race,” she said.
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Responding to questions from members of parliament this week regarding how the ministry is handling confirmed cases, Luvindao said: “It is a virus, and so the treatment of a virus is supportive therapy. That’s why, oftentimes, when you have flu, doctors will tell you that you’re not supposed to get antibiotics, because it doesn’t treat a virus.”
The minister further explained that current medical evidence has not identified any medication proven to cure mpox.
“Research has not proven any other treatment that is effective in the treatment thereof. That’s why I referred to the incubation period and the time during incubation when they are still infectious, whereby they must continue to be isolated, because there is no one drug... that we can procure to get rid of it in one day,” she said.
Luvindao emphasised that the body is capable of fighting off the infection without aggressive medication. “It is self-limiting, and therefore after a few weeks, which I highlighted, the patient will no longer be infected,” she noted.
On-the-ground preparedness
She told MPs that the supportive therapy includes pain control and monitoring of symptoms.
"Yesterday, I was in Swakopmund, on the ground, in the hospital, so I was able to see where the patient is being isolated, where the patient is being treated, as well as their treatment chart, which confirms, as I mentioned, the treatment plan, the treatment protocol, and how the ministry is currently treating patients that have been confirmed positive," Luvindao said.
On the issue of testing, the minister clarified that the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) remains responsible for mpox testing across the country.
"We swab, and then we send it to NIP, which is able to do the testing in 24 hours,” she explained.
Addressing questions on the financial preparedness of the health sector, Luvindao acknowledged that while there is a budget in place for public health and disease surveillance, more needs to be done to ensure readiness for future outbreaks.
“The ministry has a budget that is utilised in terms of public health, particularly for surveillance, monitoring and all of that. However, we ought to do more to ensure that there’s a particular budget for incidents like this that is not only for the entire public health sector but that is particularly for emergency conditions,” she stressed
“One of the things the past years have shown us is that it doesn’t inform us that it’s coming, but it happens,” she said, urging parliament to support sustained investment in health emergency preparedness.
Two cases
According to the minister, the ministry has received a report of two confirmed cases of mpox from Swakopmund.
The first was confirmed on 18 October, and the second was officially confirmed on Tuesday.
The patients are receiving comprehensive treatment at the Swakopmund District Hospital and are in isolation, the minister said.
"I wish to highlight that the first case was related to cross-border travel within the SADC region, and then the second case was reported today. With that said, I wish to importantly highlight that the suspected cases include one from Rundu, who has not been confirmed as a positive case," she added.
She added that robust surveillance systems include individuals who are tracking signs and symptoms consistent with mpox so that possible cases can be promptly identified, allowing for testing and treatment.
Misinformation about transmission
Luvindao said the signs and symptoms of the disease include, but are not limited to, fever, intense headache, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, and a rash that appears some days after the onset of symptoms and turns into blisters and crusts over time.
"The rash tends to be centralised or concentrated on the face, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet, and then the mouth, genitals and eyes might also be affected."
The symptoms and the skin rash generally last for about two to four weeks. During this time, a person can transmit the infection to others.
The minister also underlined that there has been a lot of misinformation about how mpox is transmitted.
"It is not only transmitted through sexual contact. Also, it can be transmitted face-to-face through close contact, talking and breathing; skin-to-skin touching; sex; mouth-to-mouth through kissing; mouth-to-skin contact; and then respiratory droplets or short-range aerosols from prolonged close contacts," she explained.
Ulcers, lesions and sores in the mouth can also be infectious, meaning the virus can spread through saliva.
Transmission can also occur via the placenta from mother to foetus, which can lead to congenital mpox, or through close contact during and after birth.
"Mpox can infect anyone, and it is not associated with any particular group of people or race,” she said.
[email protected]
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