The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is advising travelers to countries affected by Mpox to take precautions to avoid close contact with individuals showing symptoms of the disease.

This statement follows the World Health Organization’s declaration of an outbreak of mpox in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with cases also reported in neighboring countries including Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Mpox spreads through close contact, including sexual contact, and contact with mpox lesions, body fluids, or contaminated materials such as bedding and surfaces.

The Ministry advises that anyone who develops a fever and body aches followed by a blistering rash after recent international travel should seek medical attention and inform their doctor of their travel history.

Mpox is generally a mild and self-limiting illness, meaning most people recover with supportive treatment within several weeks, along with infection prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of spreading it to others.

However, previous outbreaks in endemic African countries have shown that severe illness can occur in some individuals, including those with compromised immune systems, young children, and pregnant women.

The Ministry of Health adds that it has protocols and guidelines in place for mpox, established when the WHO declared Mpox a global public health emergency in 2022.

It notes that training for healthcare workers was conducted at that time, and annual training in infectious disease outbreak response continues through Fiji CDC.

In response to the WHO’s recent declaration of a Mpox global health emergency, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services is convening the Communicable Disease Committee to review the global situation.

This review will also include an assessment of Fiji’s current prevention, preparedness, and response measures established during the 2022 Mpox global public health emergency, and the implementation of necessary actions, such as retraining healthcare workers.