Botswana begins screening travellers for mpox at ports of entry
The Government of Botswana has implemented surveillance checks for the mpox virus at its main trade ports of entry on 19 August 2024. These are the countries main airports, Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) in Gaborone and Maun Airport (MUB) in Maun, as well as the following land ports of entry: Kazungula One-stop Border Post (Zambia), Tlokweng/Kopfontein border post, Martin's Drift/Groblersbrug border post, Pioneer Gate/Skilpadshek border post (South Africa) and Mamuno/Buitepos border post (Namibia).
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on 14 August 2024 that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa has been declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR). This is the second declaration in two years relating to mpox. In July 2022, the multi-country outbreak of mpox was declared a PHEIC as it spread rapidly via sexual contact across a range of countries where the virus had not been seen before. That PHEIC was declared over in May 2023 after there had been a sustained decline in global cases.
