Community And Family Aid Foundation –Ghana Calls For Urgent Global Citizen’s Government Engagement To Prevent Mpox Outbreak - Let's Rise Together To Overcome These Crises Also …..
Joseph Senyo
COMMUNITY AND FAMILY AID FOUNDATION (GHANA)
(CREATING POSSIBILITIES, IMPROVING LIVES)
PRESS RELEASE
Community And Family Aid Foundation –Ghana Calls For Urgent Global Citizen’s Government Engagement To Prevent Mpox Outbreak
Let’s Rise Together To Overcome These Crises Also …..
Issue on
20 August 2024 | Tuesday
.
Address:
HS/NO. GPS GW -0950 – 1020 (SAMSAM-ODUMASE-ACCRA –GHANA
Phone number: -+1 323 470 7959/ 1 323 470-7959 / +00233-274313220Email address: - boss...@gmail.com /
familyaidfoundation@gmail
Community And Family Aid Foundation –Ghana a leading non-governmental organization working actively and in partnership to deliver as one in addressing social developmental issues one community at a time in Ghana and beyond, issues this urgent statement following the declarations of monkeypox outbreaks as a Public Health Emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)
Just when the world is recovering steadily from the covid-19 crisis, the news from all corners of the globe looks gloomy with the onset of MPOX equally spreading like wildfire.
Now, on 14th of August,2024, the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has determined that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR).
Dr Tedros’s declaration came on the advice of an IHR Emergency Committee of independent experts who met earlier in the day to review data presented by experts from WHO and affected countries. The Committee informed the Director-General that it considers the upsurge of mpox to be a PHEIC, with potential to spread further across countries in Africa and possibly outside the continent.
The Director-General will share the report of the Committee’s meeting and, based on the advice of the Committee, issue temporary recommendations to countries.
In declaring the PHEIC, Dr Tedros said, "The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
Citizen’s Government Engagement Critical At All Levels To Overcome The Spread Of Mpox
Community And Family Aid Foundation –Ghana calls for urgent citizen’s government engagement to prevent mpox outbreak
Let’s rise together to overcome these crises also …..
What you must know about mpox briefly…you can find details on our websites and other materials shared here from reliable sources….
Mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a viral infection which can spread between people, mainly through close contact, and occasionally from the environment to people via things and surfaces that have been touched by a person with mpox. In settings where the monkeypox virus is present among some wild animals, it can also be transmitted from infected animals to people who have contact with them.
Following a series of consultations with global experts, WHO has begun using a new preferred term “mpox” as a synonym for monkeypox. Read more on the background to this decision here.
What are the symptoms of mpox?
Mpox can cause a range of signs and symptoms. While some people have less severe symptoms, others may develop more serious illness and need care in a health facility. Common symptoms of mpox include a rash which may last for 2–4 weeks. This may start with, or be followed by, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen glands (lymph nodes). The rash looks like blisters or sores, and can affect the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, groin, genital and/or anal regions. These lesions may also be found in the mouth, throat, anus, rectum or vagina, or on the eyes. The number of sores can range from one to several thousand. Some people develop inflammation inside the rectum (proctitis) that can cause severe pain, as well as inflammation of the genitals that may cause difficulties urinating.
In most cases, the symptoms of mpox go away on their own within a few weeks with supportive care, such as medication for pain or fever. However, in some people, the illness can be severe or lead to complications and even death. Newborn babies, children, people who are pregnant and people with underlying immune deficiencies such as from advanced HIV disease may be at higher risk of more serious mpox disease and death.
Severe disease due to mpox may include larger, more widespread lesions (especially in the mouth, eyes and genitals), secondary bacterial infections of the skin or blood, and lung infections. Complications can include severe bacterial infection from skin lesions, mpox affecting the brain (encephalitis), heart (myocarditis) or lungs (pneumonia), and eye problems. People with severe mpox may require hospitalization, supportive care and antiviral medicines to reduce the severity of lesions and shorten time to recovery.
According to available data, between 0.1% and 10% of people with mpox have died. It is important to note that death rates in different settings may differ due to several factors, such as access to health care and underlying immunosuppression, including because of undiagnosed HIV or advanced HIV disease.
From person to person:
Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox. Close contact includes skin-to-skin (such as touching or sex) and mouth-to-mouth, or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing), and can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles). During the global outbreak that began in 2022, the virus mostly spread through sexual contact. More research is needed on how mpox spreads during outbreaks in different settings and under different conditions.
People with mpox are considered infectious until all their lesions have crusted over, the scabs have fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed underneath, and all the lesions on the eyes and in the body (in the mouth, throat, eyes, vagina and anus) have healed too, which usually takes from 2 to 4 weeks.
It is also possible for the virus to persist for some time on clothing, bedding, towels, objects, electronics and surfaces that have been touched by a person with mpox. Someone else who touches these items may become infected, particularly if they have any cuts or abrasions or touch their eyes, nose, mouth or other mucous membranes without first washing their hands. Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces/objects and cleaning your hands after touching surfaces/objects that may be contaminated can help prevent this type of transmission.
The virus can also spread during pregnancy to the fetus, during or after birth through skin-to-skin contact, or from a parent with mpox to an infant or child during close contact.
Although getting mpox from someone who is asymptomatic (not showing symptoms) has been reported, there is still limited information on whether the virus can be transmitted from someone with the virus before they get symptoms or after their lesions have healed. Although the live virus has been isolated from semen, we do not yet know the extent to which infection can spread through semen, vaginal fluids, amniotic fluids, breast milk or blood.
From animals to humans:
Someone who comes into physical contact with an animal which carries the virus, such as some species of monkeys or a terrestrial rodent (such as the tree squirrel) may also develop mpox. Exposure by such physical contact with an animal or meat can occur through bites or scratches, or during activities such as hunting, skinning, trapping or preparing a meal. The virus can also be caught through eating contaminated meat which is not cooked thoroughly.
The risk of getting mpox from animals can be reduced by avoiding unprotected contact with wild animals, especially those that are sick or dead (including their meat and blood). In countries where animals carry the virus, any food containing animal parts or meat should be cooked thoroughly before eating.
From humans to animals:
There have been a few reports of the virus being identified in pet dogs. However, it has not been confirmed whether these were true infections or whether the detection of virus was related to surface contamination.
Since many species of animals are known to be susceptible to the virus, there is the potential for spillback of the virus from humans to animals in different settings. People who have confirmed or suspected mpox should avoid close physical contact with animals, including pets (such as cats, dogs, hamsters, gerbils), livestock and wildlife.
More detailed advice for pet owners and persons working with animals can be found in the WOAH risk guidance on reducing spillback of monkeypox virus.
WHO continues to work with its One Health partners, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), to learn more about the natural reservoir of the virus and help countries to reduce the risk of mpox transmission from or to animals?
People who have close contact with someone who has mpox are at risk of infection. Close contact includes skin-to-skin (such as touching or sex) and mouth-to-mouth, or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing), and can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles). People who have contact with clothing, bedding, towels, objects, electronics and other surfaces that have been touched by someone with mpox are also at risk.
Anyone living with someone who has mpox should take steps to reduce the risk of becoming infected. A person who has been diagnosed with mpox should be assessed by a health care provider to determine if they are well enough to be cared for at home and if isolation can be safely managed at home.
Health workers should follow infection prevention and control measures to protect themselves while caring for patients with mpox (by wearing appropriate personal protective equipment and adhering to protocol for safely swabbing lesions for diagnostic testing and handling sharps such as needles).
Our call for action is now….
We as civil society representing the vulnerable are ready and already on the grounds doing our part to ensure that citizens are well informed about the mpox, and also will like to take this opportunity to urge government, health institutions, religious bodies, leaderships, all and sundry to rise to the challenge of our time.no time to waste, this disease will cause more harm than good.
Efficient and effective resources mobilizations that cater for vaccines, strengthened surveillance, reinforced infection prevention and control measures, enhanced laboratory capacities, and the mobilization of resources to support timely diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination efforts are few of the interventions that must be on the radar to curtail this disease also.
IfE’s Pandemic Response Declaration
The past must guide the future, during the peak of covid-19; few discoveries were made….highlighted below
1. The poorest people (some 3 billion) often have no access to hygienic protection (soap and water, other disinfectants).
2. The poorest people often cannot stay home and self-isolate – they must go out each day to find money and food.
3. Marginalized people are most likely to suffer human rights abuses in the enforcement of community protection orders
4. 4. Many poor people are losing access to food, threatening them with starvation, because of disrupted supply chains and subsequent price gouging; malnutrition limits immune response as well.
5. Poor people often have more predisposing conditions (such as disease, malnutrition or air pollution), but do not have access to adequate health care.
6. 6Marginalized and poor people are most likely to lose their homes, jobs or other forms of income.
7. Indigenous peoples are at special risk, due to their high levels of poverty, precarious situations, low population numbers, remote locations, different cultures and language
8. Poor people are most susceptible to misinformation, fear, panic and trauma.
9. Rates of domestic violence against women and against children are skyrocketing during “stay at home” orders.
10- People in homeless encampments, shelters, prisons, detention centers, IDP camps and refugee camps are at great risk of rapidly spreading coronavirus, without adequate protection or health care.
11. Some powerful actors are using this crisis as an excuse to circumvent rule of law and commit other abuses unrelated to coronavirus.
12. Governments say they do not have adequate resources to implement the recommended solutions to protect poor and marginalized people of all kinds
Finally, our call
We must take special measures immediately to protect people living in poverty or homelessness; people working in the informal sector; people without a social safety net or protections from abusive employers; people who are marginalized for reasons of gender, sexuality, disability, indigenous status, ethnicity or religion; those who are not considered to be citizens or are considered to have illegal status; those who are displaced, detained, or imprisoned; and others who are not accorded the same rights and access to resources and decision-making as the dominant population.
We remain committed as a civil society, and again wish to affirm our readiness to partner with a range of stakeholders to tackle safeguard and secure a quality health care and well-being for all… we are borderless….
Let’s Rise Together To Overcome These Crises Also …..
Joseph Senyo Kwashie
(Executive Director )
Community and Family Aid Foundation-Ghana
PO BOXJT224 James Town - Accra /Ghana (West-Africa)
Tel:+233-274-313-220 / +233-233-310-581
http://familyaidfoundation.wix.com/cafaf
https://cafafblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/12/press-release-international-youth-day-2017//
https://www.facebook.com/COMMUNITY-AND-FAMILY-AID-FOUNDATION-273648017243/