Health authorities in Trinidad have urged residents who have traveled to countries where the monkeypox virus has been detected and “are symptomatic” to visit their nearest health provider.
As monkeypox cases rise in Europe and other parts of the globe, health authorities are expressing concern about the unusual uptick but also pointing out that the virus is far less transmissible than the coronavirus that upended the world.
There are now more than 70 confirmed cases in Europe, according to a data tracker compiled by a collective of global health researchers, with additional infections found in the United States, Canada, and Australia. More than 50 suspected monkeypox cases are being examined globally but have not yet been confirmed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert Friday urging doctors and state health departments to be vigilant
Monkeypox is most common in remote parts of Central and West Africa.
In a statement, the Trinidad Ministry of Health said while no “suspected” case has been detected on the twin island, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh convened a high-powered meeting attended by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roshan Parasram as well as Dr. Erica Wheeler, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) representative “to address reports of the detection of this virus” in countries overseas.
“The public is advised that the main symptoms of moneypox are fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes. The virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal or with contaminated material such as bedding,” the ministry said.
It said the virus may also be transmitted from person to person by respiratory droplets.
Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and cowpox virus.
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