Tlale Lebapotswe, Mbenge Chidzani Catherine, Mokgethi Naledi, Didimalang Katlego, Kololo Sidney Otlaadisa, Releseng Lesego, Setabo Shaolyn
Health Services Management, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Gaborone, Botswana.
Department of Public Health, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
Pan Afr Med J. 2025 Apr 24;50:110. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2025.50.110.37551. eCollection 2025.
many countries enforced national lockdowns, including the closure of schools, to control the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Schools are populated areas, which make them potential spreading grounds for COVID-19 if inadequate infection control and prevention measures are in place. We describe a COVID-19 outbreak in a school that signalled the 1 community transmissions of COVID-19 in Botswana following school resumption.
a COVID-19 outbreak investigation through contact tracing and assessment of compliance with COVID-19 protocols was conducted at a school in Greater Gaborone after one of the students tested positive.
the index case is a 16-year-old female who had 165 contacts, of which 35.8% (59/165) of the people she was in contact with were possibly exposed and tested positive for COVID-19, while 0.6% (1/165) were lost to follow-up. The private school had 109 students and 8 staff, and a positivity rate of 66/117 (56%). In the index class, 21/25 (84%) students tested positive for COVID-19. Some of the close contacts from this school were linked to 10 other schools.
even though temperature checks are not a reliable screening modality for COVID-19, they led to the detection of community transmissions in Botswana. The reopening of schools is essential for the continuity of education; however, the failure of schools to follow COVID-19 protocols can increase the spread of COVID-19. Before the reopening of schools, control measures should be intensified and we also recommend regular spot checks by authorities to ensure compliance.
2020年，许多国家实施了全国性封锁，包括关闭学校，以控制新冠疫情。学校人员密集，如果感染控制和预防措施不到位，就可能成为新冠病毒的传播场所。我们描述了一所学校发生的新冠疫情，这是博茨瓦纳学校复课后社区传播的首个信号。
在一名学生检测呈阳性后，对哈博罗内市一所学校进行了新冠疫情调查，通过接触者追踪和评估新冠协议的遵守情况展开调查。
首例病例是一名16岁女性，她有165名接触者，其中35.8%（59/165）与她接触的人可能已暴露并检测出新冠病毒呈阳性，而0.6%（1/165）失访。这所私立学校有109名学生和8名教职员工，阳性率为66/117（56%）。在首例病例所在班级，21/25（84%）的学生新冠病毒检测呈阳性。这所学校的一些密切接触者与其他10所学校有关联。
尽管体温检测并非新冠病毒可靠的筛查方式，但它们促成了博茨瓦纳社区传播的发现。学校复课对教育的连续性至关重要；然而，学校不遵守新冠协议可能会增加新冠病毒的传播。在学校复课前，应加强控制措施，我们还建议当局定期进行抽查以确保遵守规定。
