Sacha Bootsman, the Covid-19 Incident manager for the World health organization has said South Sudan is capable of testing monkey pox amidst loud cry by World health organization that monkey pox is a health emergency of international concern.
“In South Sudan, we have actually had several suspected cases, the samples for these cases were sent to referral laboratory outside South Sudan and they have all come back negative, we currently have the capacity to test here in the national public health laboratory for monkey pox,” Bootsman disclosed.
She added that, the next suspected case will be tested right in Juba because surveillance structure where samples can be examined is in place to detect monkey pox.
The Covid-19 Incident manager at the national ministry of health in Juba, John Rumunu, on his part confirmed that,the health ministry together with partners have put a surveillance system for monkey pox across the country.
“As a matter of surveillance, even before this declaration of monkey Pox as public health emergency of international concern, already the ministry of health and partners through the epidemic preparedness and response established surveillance,” said Rumunu.
The health official publicized that they managed to detect cases having symptoms more or less like that of monkey pox and collected about 5 samples which he said was sent to regional laboratory where the test results all turned negative.
