The Ministry of Health is in preparation mode in the event of the arrival of Monkeypox in Guyana, even as Jamaica recently confirmed its first case of monkeypox. This is according to the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony.
Last week, Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness confirmed its first monkeypox case, a male who recently travelled from the United Kingdom to the Caribbean island.
When asked whether there are any concerns about monkeypox with Guyana’s plan to host the Cricket Carnival in September, Minister Anthony did not answer directly but said that the situation is being monitored.
Speaking at the sidelines of an event on Tuesday, Minister Anthony stated, “We have been monitoring the situation around us, and also we have trained our physicians, we have sent out guidance as to what to look for and if they find any of these things, to report it back to us so that we can know.”
According to the Health Minister, medical personnel have also been trained overseas to test for the virus.
“We have also trained personnel to be able to test for monkeypox. They have recently concluded training, and they are back home. So if we have any suspected cases, everybody is aware of the protocols that need to be followed…so are in that preparation mode just in case,” he posited.
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion.
A rash that can look like pimples or blisters appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus. The virus can be transmitted when a person comes into close contact with an infected animal or through person-to-person transmission.
