BAMP: Get bodies healthier to fight diseases

Barbadians have no reason to panic over an unusual increase in the cases of monkeypox in some of this country’s major source markets, according to president of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners Dr Lynda Williams.

However, Dr Williams, an epidemiologist, is encouraging citizens to redouble their efforts to strengthen their immune systems through healthy living as she noted an increase in curious disease outbreaks across the world.

The BAMP president has also encouraged this country’s medical practitioners to sensitise themselves on the emerging trends, including the impact of climate change on the spread of infectious diseases.

The World Health Organisation has been investigating an unusual uptick in monkeypox cases in “non-endemic” countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and parts of Western Europe.

“I noticed that the government hasn’t said anything and the ministry hasn’t said anything officially and I know there is only a remote chance that it will get here, but it is in New York and it’s in England and it’s in Canada and it’s in Western Europe. So although the chances are remote, it’s still possible and we should still be aware,” Dr Williams told Barbados TODAY.

“There is a very slim chance that it will arise on the shores of Barbados. However, it is in our source market, in countries from which we have direct flights. It’s in countries that we see people arrive every day. So if we don’t do some sensitisation, we might miss when it comes here,” she added.

Symptoms of the virus that is endemic to Central and Western parts of Africa, include a fever, headaches, general feeling of lethargy and most notably, swelling of the lymph nodes.

But unlike COVID-19, Dr Williams said the likelihood of serious illness and death is extremely limited as the current strain is a “self limiting” disease.

“That means that it runs its course. It is related to smallpox, but it does not have the same case-fatality as smallpox, so less than one per cent of people who get it normally would die as a result of it,” Dr Williams explained.

“The thing with this one is that you don’t normally see it outside of Central and West Africa. It is strange for the transmission that we are seeing in the other countries in Europe and North America, Israel…lots of other countries are getting cases now.

“It is not something that we expect to be easily transmissible. So the question that the world public health bodies have to grapple with is whether something about its transmission is changing. Has something altered the way in which it is being spread between people?

“It is not very transmissible normally, so to have 120 cases that are suspected and confirmed worldwide at the same time, would be unusual normally and so that’s what has people concerned and that’s what has the world bodies looking at it more closely,” she added.

The BAMP president called on public health officials to better sensitize Barbadians about the illness, noting that one cannot be tested for monkeypox in the same way as they can be for COVID-19.

Dr Williams noted the developments are part of emerging infections like Ebola, which in the past hardly featured in western medical examinations.

“Now we are seeing some of these things come to the fore and whether or not it is climate change that is sort of altering what we understand about these viruses, that we don’t know. I suspect that that may have something to do with it and that we are now seeing diseases that no one used to see or talk about,” said Dr Williams.

She explained that influenza, dengue, and even foot and mouth disease are still relatively prevalent locally and when coupled with the country’s NCD crisis, could be cause for serious concern.

“That is why we have to encourage people to take care of their health, to build up immunity to fight against these types of illnesses. But if you are generally unwell and have problems, then it is harder to have resistance and to be able to counteract the effects of these illnesses,” said Dr Williams.

“I don’t want it to sound like doom and gloom or as if extermination is at hand but I really want people to understand that this is a time to care for yourself, care for your body. Don’t worry about what you can’t control, but at the same time, don’t be ignorant to the changing times and the fact that we will see more and more things coming up.” kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb