AMMAN — Jordan is prepared to deal with a potential outbreak of monkeypox, and has
tightened its border control to prevent the virus from entering the Kingdom,
said Adviser to the
Prime Minister for Health Affairs Adel Al-Balbisi.
اضافة اعلان
Balbisi, who is also responsible for the
COVID-19
file, told
Jordan News that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared
monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern and urged nations
to prepare for it and investigate cases as they occur across the globe.
The
WHO emergency committee declares a health emergency
if four questions receive positive answers. They are: does the disease threaten
public health; is the event unusual; is there a possibility that the disease
will spread globally; and, will it affect international travel and trade.
This is the case with monkeypox, and countries are
scrambling to deal with the new health threat.
“Since the first case of the disease was detected
globally, we have activated border monitoring and investigation procedures to
prevent its spread,” Balbisi said.
Yet, according to him, the Imvanex vaccine, which
was recently recommended by the
European Medicines Agency for the prevention of
monkeypox, is not available in Jordan. Moreover, its production has been
limited, following the eradication of the smallpox.
According to Professor of Internal Medicine and
Infectious Diseases at the University of Jordan Faris Bakri, symptoms of
monkeypox are similar to those of smallpox, but milder.
“Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle
aches, and fatigue, which causes the lymph nodes to swell,” he said, adding
that a rash, which appears one to five days after the initial symptoms, often
starts on the face.
“It appears as raised spots, which turn into small,
fluid-filled blisters. Symptoms usually disappear within two to four weeks,” he
added.
Bakri said vaccines are expected to be supplied to
Jordan “in the future”.
Monkeypox is
spread by touching the clothes or the towels used by an infected person, or
touching the blisters or skin crusts. It is also transmitted by droplets from
an infected person’s cough or sneeze, but only through prolonged close contact,
Bakri said.
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