Govt. is ready – taking no chance with Monkeypox

Jul 26, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – What a nice thing to learn that already, the Ministry of Health is in talks with PAHO (Pan-American Health Organisation), to acquire smallpox vaccines. We need to be pro-active and this sign here is good indeed. Just a few days ago, the monkeypox outbreak was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). The classification is the highest alert that the WHO can issue and follows a worldwide upsurge in cases. It came at the end of the second meeting of the WHO’s emergency committee on the virus. The data now show that more than 16,000 cases have now been reported from 75 countries, and this is according to WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Further scrutiny details that there had been five deaths so far as a result of the outbreak. I add that there are only two other such health emergencies at present, the coronavirus pandemic and the continuing effort to eradicate polio.

On the local front, I commend Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, as he is again leading from a pre-emptive position. He stated that his ministry is working with PAHO to acquire smallpox vaccines to combat the possibility of a confirmed monkeypox case in Guyana. In his exact statement, he emphasised that “We are working to acquire the vaccine that is being produced in Denmark, but we’re working through PAHO. PAHO has been talking to the manufacturer and they are trying to secure doses for the Americas and out of the allocation that they are trying to secure, we would benefit from some of those allocations.” This is commendable and reflects professionalism and concern for the nation.

I remind all of us that those who are 40 years and younger are more at risk of contracting monkeypox, since they would not have gotten the smallpox vaccination. Why? The last smallpox vaccine administration was conducted in 1980, after it was declared to be eradicated by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Also, we need to know that because the Monkeypox virus is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox, the smallpox vaccine can protect people from getting monkeypox. Past data from suggest that the smallpox vaccine is at least 85% effective in preventing monkeypox.

The minister also expanded on this, explaining that “When we were doing the vaccination for smallpox, that gave you protective effect. If you were vaccinated for smallpox, it protected you against monkeypox because they are of the same family. But, in most of the world, smallpox is now being eliminated, so the last set of vaccines that have probably been given was around the 1980s.” He really wants us to be aware that “…persons now, who are younger than 40, they don’t have any immunity against smallpox and against, obviously, monkeypox, because they have not benefited from that type of vaccination. So, with this circulation of these cases going around, obviously, this younger population can be vulnerable. That’s what we’re seeing globally.”

My hope is that we will rally behind the Minister of Health, as we must be ready and at all times be prepared for a possible outbreak of the disease. Too many lapsed during the fight against Covid-19. This must not be repeated. I note that a series of workshops are underway, in the country, targeting the groups of people who are at risk of contracting monkeypox. I like the fact that the Ministry of Health is currently training persons on how to conduct monkeypox testing, and in fact, one of the local staff members is already engaged in training being conducted by PAHO for the Caribbean region. In summation, from the government’s perspective, “… we are equipping the system to ensure that we can detect any cases if ever that happens.”

We can do our part. We need to be mature and update ourselves with the relevant information. WHO is encouraging people to stay informed from reliable sources, such as national health authorities (our own MOH). Prevention is always the better route.

Yours truly,

Singh

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