The Ministers held a virtual meeting to assess the Mpox outlook to develop a coordinated regional response.

The SADC health ministers say member states must deploy experts to respond to the affected countries to reduce the spread of the Mpox.

Zimbabwean Health Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora, who is also SADC Health Ministerial Committee Chair, says the region must use lessons learnt from previous outbreaks to mitigate against current and future outbreaks.

SADC countries have been urged to intensify their public health surveillance and ensure that conditions that are likely to fuel an outbreak are eliminated.

Ministers have vowed to build stronger healthcare systems by focusing on high-value healthcare investments and boost regional collaboration on cross-border outbreak risk assessment.

--SABC--