AS Guyana has confirmed two cases of the Monkeypox virus, the Ministry of Health has signalled that it is prepared and has the capacity to care for patients in the event that more cases are recorded.
This was revealed on Friday during a press session for editors and journalists centred on reporting on the Monkeypox outbreak which was held at Duke Lodge, Kingston.

During this session, Dr. Tracey Bovell, the doctor-in-charge of the infectious disease hospital, stated that as part of the Health Ministry’s preparation for tackling the potential outbreak, an area at the facility located at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown has been set aside to cater specifically for Monkeypox patients.

While the infectious disease facility initially only housed COVID-19 patients, it is now catering to patients with varying other infectious diseases.
Dr. Bovell revealed that they have now set up a 37-bed area that will be able to cater to Monkeypox patients specifically. This, she said, includes not only confirmed cases but also suspected cases.

“So, we have separate areas so that even though we have other illnesses, Monkeypox [patients] will be safe from other illnesses,” she said.
While there is significant work taking place to ensure that the spread of the virus does not increase, the doctor-in-charge added that should the number of cases rise, there is the capacity to expand this area to cater for some 22 additional patients.

When asked whether the setting up of this space decreased the space for COVID-19 patients, Dr. Bovell stated that no space was cut down. However, there was a re-allocation as there has been a reduction in the number of COVID-19 patients showing up at that facility recently.

She further noted that the first unit at the facility has a 55-bed capacity for COVID-19-positive patients, with the second unit having 37-bed capacity for Monkeypox patients.
As she spoke on the centralised care for Monkeypox patients at this facility, she mentioned that all regions have been preparing and also have designated isolation areas set in the event that there are suspected or confirmed cases there.

Meanwhile, as it relates to the country’s preparedness, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Narine Singh, told members of the media that health authorities began preparations to tackle the virus in May 2022.
As a result, a Monkeypox Expert Committee (MEC) was set up and a national guideline for the management and prevention of the virus was put in place. This guideline, he said, was shared with all medical practitioners around the country.

Against this backdrop, he mentioned that surveillance at health facilities as well as at the ports of entry to Guyana has been heightened since that time.
Further, he added that an aggressive communication and sensitisation programme has been launched to ensure that the general public is aware that the virus is not limited to the population of men who have sex with men (MSM) and is not a sexually-transmitted one.

This, he said, is being done so the public knows that anyone can contract Monkeypox and as such, they should be taking the necessary precautions.
Dr. Singh mentioned that all other regional hospitals have the capacity to isolate patients though the central facility is the one at Liliendaal.

Meanwhile, as it relates to testing, the CMO disclosed that all samples are processed at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) with results having a turnaround time of 24 hours.
He indicated that persons who suspect that they may have Monkeypox can present themselves at regional facilities to have samples taken to be sent to the NPHRL.

While some persons may feel that they have been infected with the virus, it was stated that it is not until a patient has lesions that they can be tested for the virus.
It was further noted that the only time that a person can be deemed a positive Monkeypox case is when they present with lesions and are tested.