The Health Ministry of Africa held an emergency meeting with the health experts in order to discuss the recent outbreak of monkeypox, which now has at least 100 cases in around seven countries.
According to Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh that he was at the conference before visiting the vaccination centre. He stated a detailed release on the matter would be published by 3 pm on Friday.
He stated: We are very concerned about it, and we are not taking it lightly.
At the conference, many other ministers were also present there from the PAN American Health Organisation (PAHO), Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram, Epidemiology Divison Technical Director Dr Avery Hinds, Principal Medical Officer of Institutions Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards, and Manager of the Extended Programme on Immunisation nurse Grace Sookchand.
The Minister of Health that he also held a meeting with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) prior to the meeting.
According to international reports, a small number of cases have been witnessed in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Italy and France.
WHAT ACTUALLY A MONKEYPOX IS?
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox is a rare disorder that is generated by infection with the monkeypox virus.
The CDC states the condition reaches smallpox except with milder symptoms. It is highly spread when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or material infected with the virus.
Monkeypox’s gestation period is usually 7−14 days but can range from 5−21 days, the CDC said.
Symptom onset starts with fever, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue.
The major difference between the symptoms of smallpox and monkeypox is that monkeypox generates lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy) while smallpox does not.
Within three days of fever onset, an infected person generates a rash, often starting on the face, before spreading to other parts of the body. Symptoms typically last two to four weeks.
“In Africa, monkeypox has been demonstrated to cause death in as many as 1 in 10 persons who contract the disease,” the CDC said.