By Tokpa Tarnue, tarnue82@gmail.com
VOINJAMA, Liberia- The World Health Organization or WHO has presented medical and non-medical materials valued over one thousand United States Dollars to the Lofa County Health Team the LCHT.
The items include, ten cartons of medical gloves, ten cartons of nose mask, two hundred and sixty-six pieces of monkey pox posters, sixty pieces of monkey pox case investigation forms, eleven thousand seven hundred and twenty pieces of vaccine cards and twenty-eight pieces of Covid registers.
Other items are twelve pieces of monkey pox case definition forms, fifty-six pieces of calamine lotion, safety boxes and other essential tablets.
Making the presentation on behave of WHO Country representative, Dr. Peter Clement, the County Coordinator for the World Health Organization coordinator in Lofa, Emmanuel Harris indicated that the materials are intended to buttress the efforts of the Liberian government particularly the ministry of health.
He said the drugs are intended for measles case management, while the posters are to be used to educate both health workers as well as the communities on information surrounding monkey pox.
“This will help them to know what monkey pox is so that just in case they come across such they can report it to the health team” Coordinator Harris noted.
Receiving the items on behave of the Lofa County Health Team, the Community Health Department Director or CHDD, Edmond Eisah said the donation at the appropriate time as was needed by the county health team.
He disclosed that donation of awareness materials for monkey pox is very essential to the county health team amidst reports of monkey pox cases in the country.
Understanding Monkey Pox
The WHO donation will enable health workers across the county to have a better and clearer understanding of what monkey pox is and be able to track such case or cases whenever it surfaces in the county, said the Lofa County Health Team official.
District health officers have been urged to ensure that the monkey pox posters including both the case definition and investigation forms be distributed to all health facilities in their respective health districts of the county.
WHO donates posters on monkey pox
Monkey pox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkey pox virus. Monkey pox virus is part of the same family of viruses as variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox. Monkey pox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder, and monkey pox is rarely fatal.
Symptoms of monkey pox can include: Fever, Headache, Muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, Chills, Respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough), a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus, the rash goes through different stages before healing completely.
The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.
Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.
Monkey pox can spread from person to person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids. It also can be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex.
Monkey pox can spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed.
Anyone in close personal contact with a person with monkey pox can get it and should take steps to protect themselves.