ANTIGUA – The Ministry of Health in Antigua and Barbuda has announced a decisive move to fortify the nation’s defences against the potential threat of Mpox. In a statement released Friday, the Ministry outlined “a multistakeholder approach to increase surveillance at the ports of entry and at health care facilities across the country” to prevent the introduction of the virus.

This action comes in the wake of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring Mpox a public health emergency of international concern on August 14. Responding swiftly to this global alert, the Minister of Health, Molwyn Joseph, convened an emergency meeting with the Health Disaster Executive of the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Social Transformation and the Environment (MOHWSTE) on August 15.

The Health Disaster Executive, a body formed before the COVID-19 pandemic, is tasked with overseeing and coordinating responses to health emergencies and disasters in Antigua and Barbuda. Comprised of senior officials within the MOHWSTE, the executive engaged with a broad spectrum of stakeholders during the emergency meeting. (loopnews.caribbean.com)…[+]