Guyana on alert, prepared for mpox

Last Updated on Saturday, 24 August 2024, 13:57 by Writer

Guyana has asked port health staff to be on the lookout for persons with signs of monkeypox, also known mpox, even as doctors were being put on alert and vaccines have been stockpiled to be possibly given to vulnerable segments of the population, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said Saturday.

The Health Ministry says mpox is a viral zoonotic infection that is caused by the monkeypox virus and results in a rash similar to that of smallpox.

Dr Anthony told Demerara Waves Online News that port health officers have been trained to respond by visually observing passengers at ports of entry for skin rash and other signs of the viral infection. He said the World Health Organisation does not recommend border closures.

Dr Anthony said doctors would be doing a refresher course starting this weekend.

Infected persons would be isolated at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown for  two to four weeks.

The Health Minister said mpox vaccines have been stockpiled and would be administered to vulnerable segments of the population based on advice by a National Response Committee that has been established.

He said laboratory test results would become available within a few hours of taking specimens.

Please see Guyana’s Mpox Guidelines here

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MPOX can be transmitted via direct and/or indirect contact with infected persons, animals, and/or contaminated fomites. Transmission includes vertical transmission, percutaneous inoculation and respiratory secretions. The incubation period of the monkeypox virus infection is usually from 5 to 13 days but can range from 4 to 21 days. During the outbreak that began in 2022, the incubation period has generally
ranged from 7 to 10 days following exposure.