No Confirmed Monkey Pox Case in Belize

Mellissa Diaz- Musa

Doctor Musa also gave an update on the Ministry of Health’s ongoing monkey pox surveillance. Since the ministry began its efforts to detect the virus, seventeen samples have been tested. To date, all samples have returned with a negative test result. Doctor Musa says M.O.H.W. will continue with its enhanced surveillance. 

Dr. Mellissa Diaz- Musa, Director of Public Health Services, M.O.H.W.

“Initially when we started our surveillance, we were testing persons with suspicious rash, even though the person might have not fit, definitively the diagnosis or the description for monkey pox. So, if somebody comes in, yes they may not have had any travel, or they may not have had the fever, we would have still gone ahead and tested for monkey pox, because we want to do an enhanced surveillance. We are searching for the case, so that we can contain the disease as fast as possible. We have to date tested about seventeen persons so far. Every Wednesday we are running the test, but if we have to run outside of Wednesday, let’s say we have large number of test to run or if there is something urgently that comes up, we can modify. So, this Wednesday we ran four other tests and they were also negative. So to date, the seventeen tests, monkey pox has not been detected in any of them.”