By Sue-Ann Wayow
WORKERS at the country’s ports have been placed again on high alert for health screening this time for monkeypox.
This was one of the measures announced by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh in government’s response to another viral situation.
Speaking in Parliament in Monday, Deyalsingh said following an emergency meeting with health officials last Friday, discussions were held with various stakeholders to detect and reduce the spread of monkeypox.
He said that the Chief Medical Officer wrote to all regional health authorities on Friday alerting all RHA physicians on how to diagnose, isolate and treat suspected cases of monkeypox.
Deyalsingh said, “We are also working very proactively with CARPHA to ramp up regional testing not only for Trinidad and Tobago… I also had discussions with the University of the West Indies to ramp up genomic sequencing capacity so we will know which virus we are dealing with.”
In addition, government was reaching out locally and internationally for the necessary vaccine.
He said if acquired, there will not be a national vaccination drive such as with the Covid-19 vaccine.
The Ministry of Health has advised that any persons experiencing symptoms of the monkeypox virus are asked to seek immediate medical care.
Some of the main symptoms included fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.
