by Linda Straker
- Male patient recently returned to island with symptoms known to be associated with Mpox
- Sample tested in Grenada and at CARPHA, Trinidad returned negative
- Mpox declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 14 August
Health Minister Phillip Telesford has admitted that during August, healthcare workers at The General Hospital had a suspected case of Mpox. However, tests conducted on the patient’s sample at the local laboratory and at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) testing facility in Trinidad showed that the patient was negative for Mpox but positive for another virus.
“The Ministry of Health moved aggressively to isolate the patient and have the immediate test conducted here and have the sample sent to CARPHA in Trinidad for testing,” Telesford said in an interview with the Government Information Service (GIS).
The male patient recently returned to the island with symptoms known to be associated with Mpox, a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. On 14 August, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
“Within 24 hours, we were able to get the test results on the island, which confirmed a negative. Further to that, we got the CARPHA results from Trinidad, which also confirmed negative,” said Minister Telesford. Grenada’s laboratory has equipment to test for the Mpox virus. “We continue to be vigilant, paying attention to what is around us… what we don’t want to do is to create panic; we have to be always conscious,” said Telesford, who explained that the disease is mainly spread through body fluids. “We have to be conscious of that and pay attention, and so we continue to monitor what is happening in the other Caribbean islands and North America as well as Europe, and as soon as we believe it is necessary to implement border restrictions and things of the sort, we will soon do it.”
On 22 August 2024, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell in his capacity as the current Chairman of Caribbean Community (Caricom) urged all citizens to remain alert and stay informed through updates from CARPHA and local health authorities regarding Mpox and its transmission.
“It is important to be vigilant for any unusual rashes or lesions, especially if individuals have a travel history to areas with reported cases of Mpox and seek immediate medical attention if signs or symptoms are detected,” he said in the statement which the Communications Unit of Caricom Secretariat disseminated.
“Additionally, reporting any suspicious cases to local health authorities is a critical step in allowing for further epidemiological investigation. As Heads of Government, we remain resolute in our support to strengthen Ministries of Health within our Member States and Associate Members to ensure effective surveillance efforts and public health strategies to raise public awareness about Mpox and contribute to our collective preparedness.”
