UPDATE:
Around 7:10 pm EST the Jamaican Ministry of Health & Wellness confirmed that the patient that absconded the May Pen Health facility had been found earlier in the afternoon in a community in Clarendon.
A team from the health facility made contact with a female family member who confirmed he was at her house. The police and health department attended the scene and took him back into isolation. He now remains under police watch.
(CMR) Jamaica's first known monkey pox case has made a daring getaway and escaped the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon, Jamaica shortly after noon. Sources in the region shared that the man broke a bathroom window and escaped. He was picked up by a waiting car. The police have been contacted and their investigations continue.
Jamaica's Ministry of Health & Wellness confirmed the Saturday afternoon escape has now placed all medical officials in the Southern Regional Health Authority on high alert. The male patient traveled to Jamaica from the UK on June 30 to attend a funeral. He went to the hospital some five days later on July 5 presenting symptoms.
CMR Jamaican medical sources had shared the man had been resistant to providing his physical house address to the facility upon admission. However, he did share that his daughter first presented symptoms of what he believed was chicken pox days before he became ill.
“Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the police immediately,” said the health ministry in a statement.
Members of the public who experience fever, intense headache, muscle aches and/or rash on the skin are advised to immediately isolate and call ahead to their health center or doctor before visiting. The public is advised to wear a mask, wash hands frequently and practice physical distancing as part of the infection prevention and control efforts.
The incubation period for monkey pox is between 5 and 21 days.
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