One week after a man was confirmed as the first monkeypox case locally, Guyana has confirmed another case.
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony made the announcement on Monday. This second monkeypox case was detected in a woman, who has since been isolated at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Liliendaal. Contact tracing has also been activated.
“We have diagnosed a second person with monkeypox. That person is now at the Ocean View Hospital receiving treatment. The person is stable and we have started doing contact tracing for that person,” the Health Minister shared.
The first case was a 57-year-old who hailed from Region Four (Mahaica-Berbice). After developing signs of monkeypox, he visited a health facility where doctors treated the case as a suspected one. Test results later found that he was positive.
It was explained that Guyana has been treating the disease by targeting symptoms experienced or presented in the patient. While countries like the United States have specific antiretroviral medications, the Minister expressed that it would be difficult to access.
“The treatment for monkeypox is basically symptomatic, meaning that if you experience fever, we’re going to treat you for fever. If you have pain, we’re going to treat you for pain. In some countries, like the United States, they have special antiretroviral medicines that they give to very severe cases. Those medicines are under emergency use authorisation licensing. We don’t have access to those medications.”
Nevertheless, Guyana has made efforts to procure vaccines through the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), which is expected to arrive by the ending of September. It was previously stated that these shots would be used to treat exposed or high-risk individuals.
Monkeypox appears as a rash. The acute skin rash may be present with maculopapular (flat based lesions) to vesicles (fluid-filled blisters), pustules, and subsequent crusting affecting the face, palms of the hand, soles of the feet and the rest of the body.
It may be accompanied with headache, acute onset of fever, myalgia, back pain, asthenia and lymphadenopathy. Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.
Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus. It is transmitted by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding or clothing.
Dr Anthony cautioned, “Once you’re next to somebody who is infected with monkeypox, especially in the period when they have skin rashes and these pustules on the skin. If you’re in close contact with that person, touched the person or has been cleaning these pustules without any protective gear, then the chances are you are going to get infected.”
He made these clarifications amid information in the public domain that a previous history of chickenpox lower’s one’s risk of getting the disease. If a person had smallpox vaccination, he noted it helps to prevent monkeypox. However, Guyana has not administered those vaccines since the 1980s.
“You have a large group of vulnerable people and it is not only in Guyana. It is across the world because smallpox was eradicated. Because it was eradicated from the world, we have stopped giving people smallpox vaccines.” (G12)
