The Health Ministry is urging individuals who develop a fever, body aches, and a blistering rash following recent international travel to seek medical assistance immediately. This call to action comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to a new strain, known as clade Ib, of Mpox.
According to the latest WHO Situation Report from August 12, of the 934 confirmed Mpox cases reported globally in June, 567 were from the African Region, with 96% of those cases occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Although the new clade Ib and an increase in cases have not yet been observed outside of Africa, the rising number of cases in the DRC and its neighboring countries raises concerns about the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond.
The Health Ministry of Fiji has stated that it has established protocols and guidelines for Mpox in response to the WHO’s initial declaration of a global public health emergency in 2022. Training sessions for healthcare workers were conducted during that time, and the Fiji Centre for Disease Control continues to provide annual training in infectious disease outbreak response.
In light of the recent Mpox global health emergency declaration by WHO, the ministry is convening the Communicable Disease Committee to review both the global situation and Fiji’s current prevention and response strategies. This includes possibly retraining healthcare workers to enhance the existing measures put in place during the 2022 emergency.
The ministry emphasizes that the response will prioritize strengthened case identification and surveillance to ensure prompt management of cases. Mpox can be transmitted through close contact, including sexual contact, as well as through contact with lesions, body fluids, and contaminated items like bedding and surfaces.