The Ministry of Health and Well-being issued a press release informing that an imported case of Mpox was confirmed this Saturday, October 26, 2024 in Mauritius.
The state of health of the patient, a 49-year-old Nigerian, does not cause concern. He was placed in isolation at the Dr A.G. Jeetoo hospital in Port-Louis where he is being monitored by a multidisciplinary team of doctors.
Skin samples taken from the skin lesions on the patient were analyzed at the Central Health Laboratory, the PCR test was positive for Mpox.
As soon as the suspected case of Mpox was detected, the ‘Mpox Operational Plan’ protocol of the Ministry of Health and Well-being was initiated. A Contact Tracing exercise is underway.
The current protocol for M-Pox includes isolation measures, diagnostic procedures and patient management strategies aimed at containing the spread of the virus in the country.
Proactive measures are being taken to align the national response with international and regional efforts to effectively manage and contain the outbreak in terms of:
• Surveillance and contact tracing particularly at points of entry such as ports and airports.
• Mobilization of resources, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), diagnostic tools and vaccine supplies.
Vaccine distribution in accordance with WHO recommendations. There exists currently a stock of 1,000 doses of Mpox vaccines with an expiration date of October 31, 2031.
The Ministry of Health and Well-being has assured that all measures are taken to prevent the spread of the Mpox virus among the population and specifies that no local case of Mpox has been detected in the Republic of Mauritius to date.
There is no need to panic at the moment, mpox is not fatal and can be cured, please just take the precautions and enjoy the upcoming festival season of Diwali.