Belize Resumes Re-sensitization of Healthcare Teams as Mpox Spreads Globally

Medical professionals in Belize are ramping up health measures and monitoring efforts against monkeypox as the disease continues to spread across the world.  In an interview with News 5, Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director of Public Health and Wellness confirmed, “We have now restarted our re-sensitisation to the healthcare workers. We ensure that our surveillance team and border teams are aware of this increase in cases of monkeypox.”

While the new Clade 1b Mpox subvariant is spreading in Africa, it has not been detected in Mexico, including Quintana Roo, according to official reports. “Official reports from Mexico show that none of this new subvariant has been diagnosed in Quintana Roo or in any part of Mexico,” she said.

Dr. Diaz-Musa reassured the public that Mpox, unlike respiratory illnesses, has a much lower transmissibility. She emphasized that the outbreak is being closely monitored and that there is no need for panic.“I want to stress that this isn’t something that should be causing us any panic or for us to be as a country worried about something like a pandemic. At this point, it’s just for us to sensitize our staff, our team,” she said. “It’s just something that we need to monitor,” she added.

In Belize, there have been no reported cases of monkeypox, and earlier tests in 2023 confirmed cases of chickenpox rather than monkeypox.