THE Ministry of Health and Wellness on Thursday urged Jamaicans to take the necessary precautions to safeguard themselves from the deadly mpox disease, which was Wednesday declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).

There are presently no cases of mpox reported in Jamaica.

Mpox is a rare disease that is similar to smallpox and can be transmitted by contact and droplet exposure. An outbreak in 2022 was largely among men who have sex with men and was controlled through vaccination and behaviour modification.

“Safe sexual practices along with practising physical distancing, mask wearing, and frequent hand sanitisation will reduce the likelihood of transmission of the Mpox virus,”said a release from the ministry.

According to Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, “Persons must report to the health department if fever and rash occurs following recent international travel or close contact with persons who travelled within the preceding three weeks. Health care workers are also to have a heightened sense of awareness of this illness and report suspected cases to the parish health department.”

On Thursday, vice-chancellor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, in a statement, said The UWI has acquired cutting-edge virus sequencing technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic which can now be redeployed against mpox to provide strong early detection mechanisms.

“We currently have the capabilities in our laboratories to make rapid and accurate diagnosis of mpox and will work closely with regional ministries of health, the Caribbean Public Health Authority, and the Pan American Health Organization to respond to any introduction of the virus in the region,” said Beckles.

The first case of mpox outside the African continent was reported in Sweden Thursday, and the WHO said more imported Clade 1 mpox cases were likely to be confirmed in Europe soon.

“The confirmation of mpox Clade 1 in Sweden is a clear reflection of the interconnectedness of our world. There are likely to be further imported cases of Clade 1 in the European region over the coming days and weeks,” the WHO’s European regional office said in a statement.

In the meantime, Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic said Thursday it was ready to produce up to 10 million doses of its vaccine targeting mpox by 2025 after the WHO declared a surge in the virus in a global public health emergency.

Alarmed by a rise in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the spread of mpox to nearby countries, WHO experts said Wednesday that the “situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern”.

“We have additional manufacturing capacity of two million doses for 2024 and [a total of] 10 million doses by 2025,” Rolf Sass Sorensen, vice-president of Bavarian Nordic, told
AFP.

The company said it was awaiting orders from the countries concerned before starting manufacturing.

The Danish laboratory says it has some 500,000 doses in stock.

In countries where mpox is endemic:

• Human to human transmission occurs by contact and droplet exposure via exhaled large droplets.

• The incubation period of mpox is usually from six to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.

• Symptoms can be mild or severe, and associated with skin rash that can be very itchy or painful. Severe disease may be fatal.

• The disease is often self-limiting with symptoms usually resolving spontaneously within 14 to 21 days.

• Symptoms include fever, chills, intense headaches, exhaustion, backache, muscle ache, swollen lymph nodes, and rash.

• Children are at higher risk, and mpox during pregnancy may lead to complications, congenital mpox or stillbirth

• The virus is normally found in animals, but the disease may be transmitted from animals to humans, usually through bites or scratches or consumption of bush meat.

• Milder cases of mpox may go undetected and represent a risk of person-to-person transmission. There is likely to be little immunity to the infection in those travelling.

A total of 38,465 cases of the disease, formerly known as monkeypox, have been reported in 16 African countries since January 2022, with 1,456 deaths.

There has been a 160 per cent increase in cases this year compared to the previous year, according to data published last week by the health agency.