Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr 24:50:110.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2025.50.110.37551. eCollection 2025.

COVID-19 outbreak investigations in a school in greater Gaborone, Botswana

Lebapotswe Tlale  1 , Chidzani Catherine Mbenge  2 , Naledi Mokgethi  1 , Katlego Didimalang  3 , Sidney Otlaadisa Kololo  1 , Lesego Releseng  3 , Shaolyn Setabo  3
Affiliations

COVID-19 outbreak investigations in a school in greater Gaborone, Botswana

Lebapotswe Tlale et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Introduction: 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 1st community transmissions of COVID-19 in Botswana following school resumption.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: COVID-19; Outbreak investigation; cluster.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
number of cases at index's secondary school
Figure 2
Figure 2
transmission pattern of COVID-19 in Greater Gaborone
Figure 3
Figure 3
Botswana COVID-19 Epi-curve from March 2020 to August 2020
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Rothan HA, Byrareddy SN. The epidemiology and pathogenesis of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. J Autoimmun. 2020 May;109:102433. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sohrabi C, Alsafi Z, O´Neill N, Khan M, Kerwan A, Al-Jabir A, et al. World Health Organization declares global emergency: A review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) International Journal of Surgery. 2020;76:71–6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Viner RM, Russell SJ, Croker H, Packer J, Ward J, Stansfield C, et al. School closure and management practices during coronavirus outbreaks including COVID-19: a rapid systematic review. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2020 May;4(5):397–404. - PMC - PubMed
    1. UNESCO . Education: From COVID-19 school closures to recovery. Accessed 19th May 2022.
    1. Fantini MP, Reno C, Biserni GB, Savoia E, Lanari M. COVID-19 and the re-opening of schools: a policy maker's dilemma. Ital J Pediatr. 2020 Jun 9;46(1):79. - PMC - PubMed