the Ina Lotte, a ship hoisting a Liberian flag traveling on the Paraná River near Rosario, Argentina, was isolated after a crew member showed symptoms compatible with monkeypox (mpox).
The ship was quarantined at the San Lorenzo port. Argentine health authorities activated the protocol while awaiting test results for the symptomatic crew member.
According to reports, the affected crew member's test results later confirmed signs of monkeypox.
Argentina confirmed eight cases of mpox so far. The infected crew member is reportedly in the early stages of the virus, and not exhibiting visible symptoms yet.
Monkeypox is an infectious disease transmitted through close contact, causing painful rash and fever, primarily found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The isolation of the ship due to monkeypox differs from COVID-19 protocols, as monkeypox spreads through direct contact, not respiratory droplets like COVID-19.
The World Health Organization has declared mpox a global public health emergency, as a new variant is spreading rapidly in Africa.
The WHO urged pharmaceutical companies to ramp up vaccine production to halt the spread of the new strain. Two recommended vaccines are MVA-BN from Bavarian Nordic and LC16 from Japan. More doses could be available by 2025 with sufficient commitment and demand.
Sources: Cronica, Infobae, Montevideo, Safety4Sea, El Dia, The Globe and Mail, Daily Mail, Devdiscourse, Gazette, Perfil.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
