MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Freighter isolated off Argentine port due to suspected mpox case

he Liberian-flagged INA-LOTTE was isolated pending a decision from sanitary border experts

A Liberian-flagged cereal freighter was isolated off the Argentine port of San Lorenzo, north of Rosario on the Parana River, after a crewmember was reported to have monkeypox symptoms. The vessel stemmed from Spain.

 The sanitary protocol was activated and the Border Health Staff was summoned. The Security Ministry agency isolated those members of the INA-LOTTE ship with symptoms compatible with the malady declared last week by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)

The presence of the suspected infected person on board was reported to the authorities by the ship's captain, who spoke about a crewmember suffering from severe malaise and requiring medical assistance.

As per the WHO's indications, only authorized health personnel may board the ship and no one may get off until the status of persons with suspected symptoms has been determined.

In addition, two people in Rosario -a man and a woman- were confirmed to have mpox. The man had a recent travel history to Spain, it was also explained. Local infectiologist Carolina Subirá said in a TV interview that the man's case was in no way connected to the INA-LOTTE. The patient is 34 years old and “is a traveler who returned last Aug. 10 and had symptoms 48 hours before. But after several tests, his diagnosis was confirmed on Tuesday,” the Santa Fe provincial Health Ministry said in a statement. Regarding the 38-year-old woman, she had no travel record and doctors are yet baffled as to how she contracted the disease.

Monkeypox is a sylvatic viral zoonosis caused by a virus belonging to the genus Orthopoxvirus and is commonly found in tropical rainforest-rich central and western Africa. The disease can be transmitted by exposure to exhaled droplets (respiratory) and by contact with infected skin lesions (including sexual intercourse) or contaminated materials. The incubation period can range from 5 to 21 days, while the most common symptoms are fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion, which are also accompanied by a rash. The rash often starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, including the genitals: lesions may be very itchy or painful.

Authorities also advised the population to self-isolate in case of symptoms compatible with the disease, wear a facemask, stay at a distance from other people, seek professional help, and not self-medicate.