Jamaica has its first case of monkeypox, announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in an emergency digital press briefing on July 6. It is the second Caribbean territory to report a case of the disease so far.
Health Secretary Christopher Tufton tweeted the news:
We have our first confirmed case of monkeypox. The patient is a man who recently traveled from the UK. He presented himself to the public health system on July 5 after arriving on the island five days earlier. pic.twitter.com/9gtYtL0OlP
— Dr. Chris Tufton (@christufton) July 6, 2022
In an interview with Radio Jamaica, he was also careful to state: “This is not a crisis message,” pointing out that while the disease, which has clearly visible symptoms, may be much easier to detect than COVID-19, there is no need to panic. However, one health worker tweeted:
My favorite part of working in primary care/public health is how any viral infection presents with fever, headache and muscle aches. Is it the flu? Is it dengue? Is it covid? Is it monkeypox? 🫠
— Robyn (@robynas_) July 6, 2022
The ministry assured citizens that emergency health protocols have been activated in line with international standards, including a review of all isolation facilities to deal with both monkeypox and COVID-19. In accordance with these protocols, the patient was isolated and his close contacts were quarantined after contact tracing.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Jacqueline Bissassor-McKenzie stressed that Jamaicans should continue to use the COVID-19 disinfection methods still in place in many offices and shops, and maintain personal health and hygiene as was proposed earlier this year.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacqueline Bissasor-McKenzie, encourages people to adhere to the disinfection protocols that would be used during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says monkeypox is spread through close contact and if symptoms develop, people are urged to stay home. pic.twitter.com/jCmAfgM3F4
— Jamaica Observer (@JamaicaObserver) July 6, 2022
With more than 6,000 cases in 58 countries (Europe has so far recorded the highest number of monkeypox worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) said:
“Testing remains a challenge and it is very likely that there are a significant number of cases that are not accepted. Europe is the current epicenter of the epidemic, accounting for more than 80 percent of #monkeypox cases worldwide”-@DrTedros
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 6, 2022
A Jamaican pointed the finger at the source of the contagion:
Jamaica’s first case of Covid-19 came from ENGLAND. The first case of Monkey Pox in Jamaica also came from ENGLAND
Wtf.
— A thena (@6treena) July 6, 2022
However, Minister Tufton said screening at ports of entry was “always in place and now on high alert”, meaning health teams were in place to monitor and take action. Concluding that one case of monkeypox “does not create a crisis”, Minister Tufton suggested that daily life in Jamaica would be “business as usual”. CMO Bisasor-McKenzie added that because monkeypox “is not easily transmitted” — it spreads only through close contact with infected animals such as rodents or from person to person — it is less likely to become endemic in Jamaica, which thanks to the Pan American health organization (PAHO) training, has the capacity in the country to test for the disease.
Although there is no specific monkeypox vaccine, the smallpox vaccine, which is now available in small quantities, may be effective. Smallpox was eradicated in Jamaica in 1980. The CMO confirmed that “preliminary discussions are underway” and that the country’s health system, which offers a robust vaccination program, remains in close contact with PAHO regarding vaccine availability.
Bisasor-McKenzie noted that the early symptoms (fever, headache and fatigue) “will resemble COVID-19 [so] stay home if you are sick,” adding that immunocompromised Jamaicans should take special precautions. Deaths, however, are rare for what she called a “relatively mild disease.”
Although some media reports have given the impression that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted disease prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM), the CMO has corrected this misconception, explaining that it is “transmission by close contact that can occur in any kind of close encounter.”
Another doctor shared:
Although monkeypox can be transmitted during sex, it is NOT a sexually transmitted infection. It is spread by close contact. Vesicles can be on any part of the body.
— Vaccinate children 6 months and up (@thelaymansdr) July 6, 2022
Another Jamaican highlighted this:
EVERYONE IS AT RISK OF GETTING INFECTED WITH THIS VIRUS!!
Monkey pox is not an STI!!!!!
It spreads like chicken pox.
Don’t be shrill and believe that this is reversed for every “set” of people.
— Midas⚜️ (@chadmorganesq) July 6, 2022
Meanwhile, fears that the COVID-19 pandemic has opened the door to other viruses that disrupt the immune system persist.
The contraction of COVID-19 and hospitalization rates for the Omicron variant are currently quite stable in Jamaica. At low levels of testing, positivity rates hover around 15 to 20 percent. In a country with the lowest COVID vaccination rates in Latin America and the Caribbean and high levels of public transport, could Jamaica’s population be particularly vulnerable?
Jamaica is the worst place for monkeypox. Anyone who itches and is in skin to skin contact in taxis/buses
— TaeJen🇯🇲 (@goldenplum__) July 6, 2022
No new public health measures have yet been taken against monkeypox, but people are still advised to wear a mask when traveling on public transport. A health sector worker also suggested that the country has learned valuable lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, but with COVID-19 now significantly “milder” than it was, have Jamaicans become complacent about the risks of infectious diseases ?
With mandatory masks and travel restrictions to Jamaica lifted on March 1 – and tourist numbers reportedly booming – one Jamaican wondered if monkeypox could be a wake-up call for partygoers:
Jamaicans: Covid numbers down, we’re out and we’re not
Monkey pox: pic.twitter.com/0PS7spAyNp
— JordzW (@JordizzleJ) July 6, 2022
The local entertainment sector is fully open for business from March 18 and the country is gearing up for a series of public events, parties and concerts over the summer, including carnival events in July and Reggae Sumfest later in the month, all in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence on August 6. Only time will tell if the outbreak of monkeypox will put a damper on the planned festivities.
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