Health ministry issues Mpox alert

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is urging Jamaicans to take the necessary precautions to safeguard themselves from Mpox after the World Health Organization declared the disease a public health emergency of international concern.

Mpox is a rare disease that is similar to smallpox and can be transmitted by contact and droplet exposure.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, says “Persons must report to the health department if fever and rash occurs following recent international travel or close contact with persons who travelled within the preceding three weeks. Healthcare workers are also to have a heightened sense of awareness of this illness and report suspected cases to the parish health department.”

In countries where Mpox is endemic, human-to-human transmission of Mpox occurs by contact and droplet exposure via exhaled large droplets.

The incubation period of Mpox is usually from six to 13 days but can range from five to 21 days.

Symptoms can be mild or severe, and associated with skin rash that can be very itchy or painful. Severe disease may be fatal. The disease is often self-limiting with symptoms usually resolving spontaneously within 14 to 21 days.

Symptoms include fever, chills, intense headaches, exhaustion, backache, muscle ache, swollen lymph nodes, and rash.

Children are at higher risk, and Mpox during pregnancy may lead to complications, congenital Mpox or stillbirth

The virus is normally found in animals, but the disease may be transmitted from animals to humans, usually through bites or scratches or consumption of bush meat.

Milder cases of Mpox may go undetected and represent a risk of person-to-person transmission.

There is likely to be little immunity to the infection in those travelling.

For more information on Mpox, please contact your parish health department or call 888-ONE-LOVE (663-5683).

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