Title : Investigation of a suspected case of Monkeypox in the Commune of Carrefour, Ouest, Haiti, May 2022
Abstract:
Introduction: Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic infection that results in a skin infection similar to smallpox. It is a disease of great concern throughout the world. In America, particularly in Haiti, the MSPP through its epidemiology department is also concerned about this disease. On May 30, 2022, a patient with skin lesions was reported by a provider at the Center de Santé Mère Térésa, in the commune of Carrefour, Ouest, Haiti. Our goal is to confirm the existence of the disease, search for other cases and establish control and prevention measures.
Methods: This is a descriptive study based on an investigation of a suspected case of monkeypox notified on May 30, 2022 in the commune of Carrefour, Ouest, Haiti. For this, a multidisciplinary team was formed. A case definition was developed and an investigation file from the Epidemiology department of Laboratories and Research was used to collect demographic variables, clinical and paraclinical signs, and other information about the patient’s condition. Further searches were carried out in the Registries to trace other similar skin lesions, as well as travel history. Make sure to take the sample for confirmation of the case. The treatment and the analysis of the data were carried out on Excel 2019 and the results were presented.
Results: This is a 56-year-old woman, the woman notified to the hospital of Mother Thérésa, Commune of Carrefour, seen in an outpatient setting, with the following signs and symptoms: fever, headache, skin eruption. The result is pending, and community follow-up for contact tracing has been conducted in the household of the case and in neighboring households of the suspected case.
Conclusion: Clinical signs and symptoms alone were not sufficient to confirm the suspected case of monkeypox. Although its signs and symptoms are not obvious, one should wait for the lab test result of the collected specimen. We sensitized the population of this locality on the mode of transmission of the disease and also to establish control and prevention measures to limit and cut the chain of transmission to such an epidemic in the community.
