DILI, july 18, 2022 (TATOLI)— Director General of Health Services, Odete da Silva Viegas said, the Ministry of Health has prepared a strategy to prevent a new confirmed monkeypox virus in India.
“Our national commission team is ready when a case is detected, the team will remind the public to prevent themselves from the virus. If a case is detected in Timor-Leste, we have an epidemiological team ready to fight COVID-19 and other viruses in Timor-Leste. we are investing heavily in prevention and surveillance services, which means that the team is ready to fight a new outbreak, including the new Monkeypox virus.”
Viegas said the epidemiology team had worked very hard to do vigilance, but so far Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Health had not detected any new Monkeypox virus.
Following a report from the World Health Organization (WTO), the first case of monkeypox in the Southeast Asia Region was reported from India, in a 35-year-old man who arrived from the Middle East earlier this week.
“The region has been wary of monkeypox. Countries have taken steps to detect it quickly and take appropriate action to prevent the spread of monkeypox,” said Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO Southeast Asia.
WHO has supported the Member States in the Region to assess the risk of monkeypox and strengthen their capacity to prepare for and respond to a growing multi-country outbreak.
More than 6000 cases of monkeypox and three deaths have been reported in 60 countries since the start of the year. More cases can be expected as surveillance expands.
Monkeypox was first confirmed on May 6, 2022, in the UK,
where a British resident visited Nigeria, West Africa, where the disease is commonly found. The resident developed symptoms consistent with Monkeypox on April 29, 2022.
In the current outbreak countries and amongst the reported monkeypox cases, transmission appears to be occurring primarily through close physical contact, including sexual contact. Transmission can also occur from contaminated materials such as linens, bedding, electronics, and clothing that contain infectious skin particles.
Journalist: Felicidade Ximenes
Editor: Florencio Miranda Ximenes/Nelia B.
Translation: Camilo de Sousa
