Cuba free of monkeypox and severe hepatitis of unknown origin in children

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 2 (ACN) José Ángel Portal, Minister of Public Health (MINSAP), stressed that Cuba has no cases of monkeypox and severe hepatitis of unknown origin in children and remarked that the National Health System has surveillance procedures in place to detect these diseases as the country pays attention to the situation in the world.

Taking into account that Cuba has never coped with any of these two diseases, MINSAP has developed plans for both and training courses for the health care staff for possible positive diagnoses.

Since the activation of the surveillance system, 31 children with hepatitis have been studied, and none was infected with these diseases. Likewise, people with skin lesions resembling those caused by monkeypox were found to be free of the virus.

The first cases of severe sudden hepatitis of unknown origin and of monkeypox were reported in the United Kingdom in March and early May, respectively.

The World Health Organization has initiated an investigation into the outbreaks.