Discussions are being held between the Health Ministry and World Health Organization to ensure Fiji gets access to vaccines and medications used to treat monkeypox.
There are no cases in Fiji.
Permanent Secretary of Health Doctor James Fong stresses that Monkeypox is usually a self-limiting illness which means that most people recover with just supportive treatment within several weeks.
However, Dr Fong adds that severe illness can occur in some individuals.
He says the Health Ministry is also in discussions with their reference laboratory in Melbourne to ensure access to definitive tests.
The Permanent Secretary of Health says their ongoing efforts to have genomic sequencing capability in the Fiji Centre for Disease Control will provide them with greater capacity to deal with infection threats now and in the future.
Dr Fong says the major priority for the Ministry of Health is to have a response plan that will include surveillance with rapid response and containment protocols and at the same time have a minimal social and economic impact.
He stresses that a key focus will be on ensuring that those suspected or confirmed to have monkeypox must be able to be managed in a dignified manner with no threat of stigmatization.
Dr Fong says all doctors and Nurses in the community need to ensure they are well informed of how cases present and be vigilant in helping to ensure cases are diagnosed early.
Monkeypox does not spread easily between people but person to person transmission may occur through:
- contact with clothing or linens (such as bedding or towels) used by an infected person
- direct contact with monkeypox skin lesions or scabs
- exposure to respiratory droplets eg coughing or sneezing
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