- Community probe to find children with Acute Flaccid Paralysis underway
- House-to-house investigation to cover Gaborone and surrounding areas
- Investigation aims to identify children with weak limbs and reduced muscle tone
BONGANI MALUNGA
An urgent Ministry of Health inspection to identify children with Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP), which weakens children’s limbs, began in Gaborone and surrounding areas on Monday this week (19 August).
According to MoH, the house-to-house inspection is a precautionary measure that comes in response to detection of a vaccine polio virus in an environmental sample in the Glen Valley waste site.
The field inspection is scheduled to end on Friday this week (23 August).
AFP is usually caused by the poliovirus. It is characterised by weakness of limbs, paralysis and reduced muscle tone in children.
Mild to severe in 10 days
Additional symptoms include difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids (ptosis) and slurred speech. The motor skills-limiting disease can affect respiration and progress from being mild to severe within a span of 10 days if it not detected earlier.
MoH’s field inspection personnel is covering places like Gaborone, Molepolole, Mogoditshane, Mmopane, Metsimotlhabe, Gakuto, Mmatseta, Tlokweng, Gabane, Tloaneng, Ramotswa and Mmokolodi, focusing on children aged 15 years and above.
Said the Permanent Secretary of MoH, Dr Christopher Nyanga, in a press statement. “This is part of an initiative to strengthen polio surveillance in the country.
Precautionary measure
“It is also a precautionary measure and recommended exercise following the recent detection of vaccine polio virus in an environmental sample collected from Glen Valley wastewater treatment site in Gaborone.
“Further laboratory investigations are underway to determine the significance of the virus detected. The vaccine derived polio virus was isolated from a sample collected on July 2nd 2024.”
The statement added that members of the public are encouraged to welcome the inspection teams in their homes to conduct the field investigation.
Uniform and IDs
They will show up in identifying uniform and have relevant documents to avoid impersonation.
“The public is advised not to panic but to keep their environment, food and water clean all the time,” said the statement. “The ministry will always advise as may be necessary.”