MANAMA: Bahrain yesterday stepped up its proactive fight against monkeypox by opening pre-registration for vaccinations – and receiving a stock of the vaccines.
Citizens and residents can register online at healthalert.gov.bh or by calling the 24/7 hotline 444, announced the Health Ministry.
It said the pre-registration was voluntary, affirming the government’s commitment to the safety and security of all citizens and residents.
“Vaccine provision is part of the government’s strategy to secure the needed medical and logistical resources to curb the spread of the disease,” said a statement.
The ministry highlighted that the kingdom had secured a limited stock of the vaccine which will be administered to priority groups as per the set health protocols, including frontline health workers and those at high risk of exposure.
Upcoming shipments will be dedicated to citizens and residents who wish to take the vaccine, it added, noting that it will be free of charge.
Relevant protocols related to testing, isolation and treatment, based on global World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations and standards, have also been put in place.
Pre-registration for monkeypox vaccine is open
Health Minister Dr Jalila Al Sayyed had earlier issued an edict regarding isolation protocols for those who contract the virus and those suspected of being in contact with a positive case.
The edict stipulates that the medical isolation period is for a period of 21 days from the date of the confirmed result or from the date of contact with the positive case.
Patients will be subjected to monitoring and tracing procedures via the BeAware Bahrain mobile phone app to ensure compliance with isolation procedures.
Anyone found breaking the rules could face a three-month prison sentence, a fine of between BD1,000 and BD10,000, or both.
No cases of monkeypox have been reported in Bahrain so far, with WHO providing the kingdom with diagnostic kits to aid in its fight against the viral infection.
Following WHO declaring monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern last month Bahrain added it to the list of notifiable communicable diseases.
Monkeypox was discovered in 1958 as a zoonotic virus with double-stranded DNA following two outbreaks of a pox-like disease in Danish monkey research colonies. It spreads through close contact and causes flu-like symptoms as well as pus-filled skin lesions.
Currently, monkeypox, which is spread in more than 80 countries, causing more than 20,000 infections within a few months, is of the type endemic to West Africa, and it is the least severe type in symptoms and danger compared to the endemic virus in Central Africa.
The UAE was the first GCC country to detect monkeypox cases with 16 found so far; Saudi Arabia has detected three cases and Qatar one.
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