Caribbean News
MPOX caught in Trinidad and Tobago
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TrinidadandTobago, July 17, 2023 – It is an unfortunate reality for Trinidad and Tobago as they have now recorded the first case of the Monkeypox Virus.
The infected individual according to the Ministry of Health, is a middle aged male with travel related history.
He was tested on Tuesday July 11th, and the sample sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s (CARPHA)
Taking action, the Ministry said the County Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) has started the local public health response, which includes contact tracing.
Trinidad and Tobago now joins the global community that has had MonkeyPox cases as expressed by the World Health Organisation’s update as of July 4th, 2023, that 88,144 Mpox cases have been detected globally amongst 112 countries. Also, there have been a total of 149 deaths.
The Ministry reminded the public that the virus is spreading worldwide as we speak, and that it is important to maintain good hygiene practices such as hand washing or sanitising where appropriate.
The vaccine is currently available in Trinidad and Tobago but will, at this time, be used for positive cases only.
The Ministry expressed that it will continue to provide updates to the public as necessary.