Jamaica confirms second locally transmitted monkeypox case
Published:Wednesday | August 10, 2022 | 4:26 PM
A fourth case of the monkeypox virus has been confirmed in Jamaica.
It was detected in St James.
It is the second locally transmitted case and the Health and Wellness Ministry says this means that the patient was not in contact with the previous three confirmed cases, and there's no travel history.
The patient is isolating at home.
The ministry says the parish health department has started contact tracing.
The first monkeypox case was confirmed in July and the first locally acquired one detected on August 5.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the virus a global health emergency in July.
Up to August 10, the WHO reported 31, 665 cases in more than 70 countries.
Monkeypox is a virus that originates in wild animals lie rodents and primates and occasionally jumps to people. Most human cases have been in central and west Africa, where the disease is endemic.
READ MORE: What is monkeypox and where is it spreading?
The spread of monkeypox may occur when a person comes into close contact with an infected individual.
Person-to-person spread may occur through direct contact with monkeypox skin lesions or scabs, including sexual contact and close personal contact
The virus can also be spread through contact with contaminated personal items such as clothing, bed linen or towels used by an infected person; and respiratory droplets by way of coughing or sneezing of an individual with a monkeypox rash.
Symptoms of monkeypox are usually mild to moderate and include fever, intense headache, swelling of the lymph nodes, back pain, muscle ache, and/or rash on the skin.
The ministry says members of the public who experience these warning signs must immediately isolate and call ahead to their health centre or doctor before visiting.
For additional information on monkeypox, members of public can visit the Ministry's website (www.moh.gov.jm) or contact their parish health department.
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