A monkeypox patient, still in isolation, was recently reported to escape the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon, and based on initial reports, police and health authorities did not know his whereabouts.

According to Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tuffon, the UK traveler infected with monkeypox jumped through a bathroom window on Saturday and left in a car that waited for him, a report from The Star specified.

The police visited his home but said the patient was not there. At the time of this report, the car was being tracked, and Tufton noted the patient's action was "premeditated and planned."

The Health Minister reminded the public that monkeypox is a contagious disease and everyone should be on the lookout. He also urged the public not to harm the man if seen.

ALSO READ: Monkeypox Outbreak in the UK: How Does the Disease Spread? 5 Steps to Take to Prevent Transmission of the Virus

(Photo: Pexels/Erkan Utu)
A monkeypox patient, still in isolation, escaped the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon, and based on initial reports, police and health authorities did not know his whereabouts.

Monkeypox Detected in Jamaica

The health official explained that the solution here is not to apprehend or engage in any confrontation with any person who has the symptoms of the disease. He added that the best thing to do is get in touch with the police or parish health authority.

Meanwhile, test results from a suspected monkeypox case in St. James have returned negative. Tufton released an advisory on July 6 that the virus had been detected in Jamaica.

He added that the man went to the public health system on July 5, arriving on the island five days earlier from the UK.

Patient Found

Latest reports said the patient who fled the May Hospital has been found, and allegedly, he said he scaped because he "wanted to enjoy" his vacation in Jamaica.

A related The Gleaner report said, the man said he is not going to spend so much money "to come here and not enjoy" himself. He also told other patients that by 10 am, he was going to leave the hospital, and he had already called his ride.

As mentioned, the Health Ministry verified that the patient jumped through a hospital window sometime after noon and fled in a waiting motorcar. This is the first case of the contagious disease detected on the island.

Isolation Period for Monkeypox Patients

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report specifies that patients with either suspected or confirmed monkeypox infection need to be isolated.

Patients who do not necessitate hospitalization but stay possibly infectious to others need to be isolated at home.

Decisions on discontinuation of isolation for precautions at a healthcare facility and at home need to be made in consultation with the local or state health department.

For people with the disease, isolation precautions must be continued until the lesions have healed, the scabs have fallen off, and a new layer of intact skin has formed.

A report about the recent monkeypox patient's escape is shown on JBN Network's YouTube video below:

RELATED ARTICLE: Monkeypox: Is There Any Treatment to the Disease or Is It Another Pandemic to be Worried About?

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