CDC holds meeting to discuss preparations for confronting Mpox

Amman: A coordination meeting held by the Jordan Center for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday discussed preparations for confronting the Mpox (monkeypox) virus and the roles and responsibilities of the relevant sectors and authorities in case the virus spreads locally. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, the Royal Medical Services Directorate (RMS), the National Center for Security and Crisis Management (NCSCM), the Public Security Directorate (PSD), the Civil Defense Department (CDD), and the Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC). CDC's President, Adel Belbaisi, said that that there have been no cases of Mpox reported in Jordan to date. He also stated that it is unlikely that the disease will spread and become an epidemic because it is only spread by direct contact and not through the respiratory system. He added that the meeting discussed the necessary plans and protocols, such as infection control procedures, identifying and continuou sly updating the case definition, identifying isolation rooms in accredited hospitals, necessary laboratory tests, transferring cases, procedures at border crossings, community awareness and health education, explaining that the CDC has many procedures and plans to deal with the disease. The meeting also discussed the roles of different institutions in monitoring, tracking, isolating and hospitalizing infections, assessing current capabilities and capacities, and identifying the needs required to address the virus. Alaa Tamimi, CDC director of the Research, Policy and Training Directorate, gave a presentation on the history of the disease, its transmission methods and symptoms, the definition of suspected and confirmed cases, and laboratory detection methods. The meeting agreed on the need to update the coordinated national plan to confront the Mpox and circulate it to the concerned parties again, as a meeting will be held soon with the presence of the concerned parties and institutions to start this proce dure. Source: Jordan News Agency