Minister of Health: Bahrain has taken proactive precautionary measures to combat ‘Monkeypox’ and no cases detected so far

The Minister of Health, Her Excellency Dr. Jaleela bint Sayed Jawad Hassan, stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain has taken wide-ranging proactive precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Monkeypox, particularly in light of the rise in the number of infected cases globally.

The Minister affirmed the Government of Bahrain’s commitment to ensure the health and safety of all citizens and residents. She explained that the government has put in place a strategy to secure the needed medical and logistical resources to curb the spread of the disease and deal with infected cases, stressing that epidemiological monitoring efforts are being intensified across the Kingdom.

Dr. Jaleela also said that the concerned authorities have adopted the relevant protocols related to testing, isolation and treatment, based on global WHO recommendations and standards, highlighting that the Kingdom has not detected any monkeypox cases so far.

As part of proactive efforts, the Ministry of Health has conducted awareness sessions for health workers about the virus  and transmission modes, set up a reporting mechanism for suspected cases at the Public Health Directorate, evaluated diagnosis requirements and contact tracing plans, in addition to disease control requirements and vaccinations. 

Speaking about the decisions issued to prevent disease spread, the Minister of Health indicated that they aim to strengthen Bahrain’s response and reinforce preventative efforts.

She added that two groups have been determined to adhere to isolation procedures to prevent the spread of the virus for a period of 21 days, namely:

1- Persons who were infected with the virus, and were isolated to receive the necessary treatment and to stabilize their medical condition; and the isolation period starts from the date of testing positive.

2- Persons suspected of being infected with the virus after contact with an infected person, and the period of isolation starts from the date of the last contact with an infected person.

The issued decisions stipulate that specialists that are overseeing these cases can adjust isolation periods when needed, without prejudice to health requirements relating to prevention, isolation, and treatment of communicable diseases.

According to the decisions, the Ministry of Health may also compel and subject the groups addressed by the provisions of these decisions to undergo their isolation at designated locations determined by the ministry, in addition to identifying the mode of this isolation.

The Ministry may require the groups addressed by the provisions of these decisions to undergo contact tracing procedures via the BeAware application in order to uphold their compliance.