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Seven contacts of monkeypox case to be vaccinated

08/08/2022 07:56

Seven people contacts of the first Monkeypox case in Cyprus will be vaccinated on Sunday, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela told reporters on Sunday from Paphos, adding the state of health of all three cases is good.

Speaking after a memorial service held in the Letympou community, he said two men, a tourist and a seafarer, both from overseas, have tested positive, increasing the number of cases detected in Cyprus to three.

He thanked Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou for her help in getting the vaccines against Monkeypox sooner than expected. He also thanked his Israeli counterpart for offering vaccines in case Cyprus was unable to be supplied by the EU.

The first batch arrived on Saturday and the first vaccinations are scheduled for Sunday.

Asked about the Ministry of Health’s planning regarding vaccination against Monkeypox, Hadjipantela said "that there is a protocol regarding vaccinations", noting that "we must be careful and vaccinate the people who need these vaccines" because we are not talking about mass vaccination as was the case with the coronavirus". There is a limited number of vaccines and they have to be used very carefully, he said.

Asked about the state of health of the patients, he said that "it is good".

In order not to see an increase in monkeypox cases, he said hygiene rules must be adhered to.

Regarding COVID-19 and the ministry’s plans for the new school year, he said there is a protocol which is being reviewed constantly and according to the COVID-19 situation at the time, the relevant decisions will be taken.