Announced on Thursday, August 22, 2024 by the Minister of Health, Prof. Adrien Mougougou, the detection of the first case of monkeypox called Mpox could have an impact on the functioning of several sectors. This is particularly the case in education where the specter of a postponement of the start of the school year looms.
The diagnosed patient, a 30-year-old man residing in Gabon, had been in Uganda, a country affected by the epidemic, for the past two weeks. According to health authorities, the man has been placed in isolation and is in good general condition. However, with the start of the school year approaching and the imminent return of many compatriots who have traveled abroad, concern is growing.
What response as the school year approaches?
Mpox, although less serious than human smallpox, has already led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in July 2022, following its spread to more than 75 non-endemic countries. Recently, on August 14, 2024, a second PHEIC was declared due to a resurgence of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and several neighboring countries, as well as the emergence of a new strain that is potentially more transmissible according to the Pasteur Institute.
However, the school year is scheduled to start on September 2. The Gabonese government is therefore faced with a dilemma: maintain the school year on the scheduled date or postpone it to put in place effective preventive measures against the spread of the virus. For the moment, no official decision has been announced, but the population is waiting to know what measures will be taken to ensure the safety of students and educational staff in order to avoid reliving the anxiety of a pandemic as was the case with Covid-19. For the time being, the health authorities continue to closely monitor the evolution of the virus on the national territory.
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