In light of Jamaica’s first suspected monkeypox death, Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) Regional Technical Director Michael Bent, advises school administrators to increase infection-control measures to combat the risk of the virus spreading.
Bent is urging school leaders to enforce the infection-control measures they put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19 now that face-to-face classes have resumed.
He is encouraging hand washing and sanitizing, as well as the use of masks.
“Now that the schools have been reopened, where children have been interacting with each other and traveling on public transportation and so on, we want to ensure that they know what are the measures to take and enforce the infection-control measures so that we can minimize any risk of persons contracting it and spreading it,” Bent said.
He added: “We have to ensure that we don’t take anything for granted. Everyone can contract monkeypox if we don’t take precautionary measures.”
The SRHA, which covers St. Elizabeth, Manchester, and Clarendon has plans put in place to sensitize the public in major towns through awareness campaigns. Junction, Santa Cruz, Christiana, Mandeville, May Pen, Chapelton, Spaldings, and Frankfield are among them.
In July, Jamaica reported its first case of monkeypox. Since then, the number of reported cases has risen to 12, with five cases reported between September 7 and September 12.
Ten of the total cases were locally transmitted. Eight are active cases.
 Regional Technical Director Michael Bent,){kind=link}