Health ministry maintaining active surveillance for virus

Local health authorities declared Thursday that Barbados has no suspected or confirmed cases of the monkeypox virus to date, but are giving assurances that the island remains on high alert.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said it will continue its “active surveillance and the sensitisation” of port health personnel on the management of the monkeypox virus.

On Wednesday, Jamaica became the first Caribbean country  to confirm its first case of the monkeypox virus. The male patient recently travelled from the United Kingdom and presented to the public health system on July 5 having arrived in the island some five days earlier. He has been isolated while having confirmatory tests done and his close contacts quarantined following contact tracing.

On the heels of the development, Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency Dr Joy St John advised there was no need for undue concern but stressed that Barbadians should  follow the advice and guidance of the Ministry of Health.

Dr St John told Barbados TODAY that citizens need not fear an outbreak of monkeypox similar to what has occurred with COVID.                                                                

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently described the outbreak as distributed over five main regions, including Europe, America, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Western Pacific and Africa.

Monkeypox is a disease of global health importance which primarily occurs near the tropical rain forests of Central and West Africa with the primary hosts being rodents and non-human primates such as monkeys.  However, the current outbreak is being identified in non-endemic areas and is being spread from human-to-human with the majority of the cases seen in Europe.

Humans can contract the virus by direct contact with an infectious rash, scab, or body fluids of an infected person or animal.  Human-to-human transmission can occur as a result of prolonged face-to-face, intimate, physical contact, or, touching items that have previously been handled by an infected individual. Development of symptoms can occur up to 21 days after contact with a case.

The virus usually starts with flu-like symptoms (fever and body aches), with swelling of the lymph nodes and progression to a widespread rash on the face and body.  The red bumps eventually turn into pus-filled blisters that crust over. This illness can last for approximately 2 to 4 weeks.

There are no specific treatments for the virus, however, medications can be used to manage the symptoms.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness pledged to keep citizens informed of any public health developments of concern.