The British Virgin Islands on alert for monkeypox
There have not been any confirmed cases of monkeypox on the British Virgin Islands. Still, Health and Social Development Minister Marlon Penn says the National Unity Government is putting measures to ensure the territory can appropriately respond to the virus.
“There is a risk of spread to the Caribbean region due to travel. Therefore, awareness is being raised among healthcare workers and Port Health Authorities across the region to ensure adequate prevention and control measures are in place,” Penn said while speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday.
“The Ministry of Health will coordinate the dissemination of information to agencies involved in Port Health and Animal Quarantine, as well as healthcare providers and regional counterparts. Many of the specific recommended actions from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) are in place in the BVI and strengthened in response to COVID-19.”
Testing for monkeypox is not currently available locally or at the CARPHA lab in Trinidad. But Penn said efforts are being made on a regional level to ensure testing can take place.
Symptoms of monkeypox include exhaustion, fever, headaches, backache, muscle ache, chills, and swollen lymph glands. These symptoms can last 2 to 4 weeks, and severity depends on an infected person's age.
Penn advised islanders that contrary to popular belief, it cannot be spread through sex.
The World Health Organisation has confirmed 92 cases of monkeypox in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United States.
Monkeypox, which was first discovered in the 1970s, is endemic to parts of West and Central Africa and South Sudan.
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