Heath Dept. focuses outreach on preventing monkeypox infections

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Health Department is keeping the COVID-19 Task Force abreast with the latest development on the global monkeypox outbreak, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international public health emergency, with an increasing number of confirmed cases around the world.

For the U.S, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that as of the afternoon of July 29, there were 5,189 confirmed cases throughout the country, including ten in Hawaii. The CDC map shows that three states have yet to report a confirmed case as of July 29.

The map also shows that Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory that has recorded monkeypox cases, with 14 as of July 29, according to CDC data, which noted 22,485 cases globally.

Some local residents are hoping that monkeypox will take some time to reach American Samoa’s shores, as the territory is already dealing with the COVID-19 community spread and a flu outbreak.

“But at least, the public is aware that our health officials are keeping a close watch on monkeypox,” said a father of two school age children and he hopes that travelers from the U.S don’t bring the virus to the territory.  And he suggested that ASG’s TALOFAPass websystem should also be used to screen travelers for monkeypox as it currently does for the COVID-19 virus.

At last week’s COVID-19 Task Force briefing, DoH again presented information on the monkeypox outbreak, with DoH Clinical Service director Dr. Elizabeth Lauvao explaining that the monkeypox virus is a rare disease, similar to small pox, but unlike small pox is rarely fatal.

Additionally, CDC recommends vaccinations for people who have been exposed to monkeypox and people who are at higher risk of being exposed to monkeypox. The DoH report states that the two vaccines licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are available for preventing monkeypox infection – JYNNEOS — also known as Imvamune or Imvanex — and ACAM2000.

People are considered fully vaccinated about two weeks after their second shot of JYNNEOS and 4 weeks after receiving ACAM2000. However, people who get vaccinated should continue to take steps to protect themselves from infection by avoiding close, skin-to-skin contact, including intimate contact, with someone who has monkeypox.

However, none of the vaccines are available in American Samoa yet, according to the DoH presentation, which also explained symptoms and preventive measure. (See Samoa News edition July 21 for details. And also check CDC online https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html)

On July 23, the WHO declared monkeypox virus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. International news outlets reports that the designation means the WHO now views the outbreak as a significant enough threat to global health that a coordinated international response is needed to prevent the virus from spreading further and potentially escalating into a pandemic.

Although the declaration does not impose requirements on national governments, it serves as an urgent call for action.

In response, Dr. Raj Panjabi, the director of White House Pandemic Preparedness Office, said in a statement that the WHO declaration is a call to action for the world community to stop the spread of this virus.

“A coordinated, international response is essential to stop the spread of monkeypox, protect communities at greatest risk of contracting the disease, and combat the current outbreak,” Dr. Panjabi said.