Cargo ship in Parana River quarantined due to suspected Mpox case

August 21, 2024
Ruby J. Jane
cafenews

Argentine authorities have quarantined a cargo ship in the Parana River because a suspected case of Mpox was detected on board, the government said. This came as health authorities worldwide remain vigilant as a potentially faster-spreading variant of the virus still cannot be ruled out.

AAccording to a statement from the ministry, a cargo ship near the Argentine grain port of Rosario reported to authorities that a crew member of Indian nationality had cyst-like skin lesions mainly on the chest and face.

The affected person was isolated from the rest of the crew and public health emergency protocols were initiated. The ship, which was originally headed to the port of San Lorenzo in the province of Santa Fe, had to anchor in the river.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has declared that the increase in MPOX cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a growing number of African countries constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR).

Last week, the Director-General initiated the process for emergency use authorization of MPOX vaccines. This is intended to accelerate access to vaccines for low-income countries that do not yet have their own national authorization. Emergency use authorization will also enable partners such as Gavi and UNICEF to procure vaccines for distribution.

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