Jamaica: Monkeypox patient who fled hospital back in isolation

SOURCE: Jamaica Observer: The monkeypox patient who fled the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon via a bathroom window Saturday afternoon is back in isolation at the health facility OBSERVER ONLINE can confirm.

He was reportedly picked up at his home by a team made up of the police and hospital staff.

Media reports indicate that the hospital’s chief executive officer, Eugena Clarke-James has confirmed the development.

A search was launched for the patient earlier Saturday after he was discovered missing.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness in a statement, said it received reports that sometime after 12 p.m. – the patient, who presented to the public health system on July 5, having arrived in Jamaica some five days earlier from the United Kingdom – left through a bathroom window of the facility and had a car waiting.

Symptoms of monkeypox, a viral disease, include fever, intense headache, swelling of the lymph nodes, back pain, muscle ache, lack of energy, and/or rash. Person-to-person spread occurs through: direct contact with monkeypox skin lesions or scabs; contact with clothing or linens (such as bedding or towels) used by an infected person; and coughing or sneezing.

The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). The incubation period is between five and 21 days.

Members of the public who experience fever, intense headache, muscle aches and/or rash on the skin, must immediately isolate and call ahead to their health centre or doctor before visiting.

All members of the public should wear a mask, frequently wash hands and practice physical distancing, as part of infection prevention and control efforts, the health ministry said.

Photo: Jamaica Gleaner