Infectious Diseases Commission expects case involving suspected monkeypox patient to be resolved after refusing to get tested
Skopje, 11 August 2022 (MIA) - There's no room for panic because no serious monkeypox outbreak is expected, says the Commission for Infectious Diseases.
So far, only two suspected monkeypox cases have been registered in the country, including the Kichevo patient who is refusing to get tested and the migrant hospitalized at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Skopje, whose tests came back negative.
Commission head Aleksandar Petlichkovski said that although the Kichevo patient was offered to get tested he refused.
"Health is a collective and individual responsibility of all the citizens in the country," he told the media on Thursday noting that there is no legal provision that he can be ordered to be tested.
Petlichkovski explained that the person went to get examined by a doctor on Tuesday after which infectious diseases doctors and epidemiologists were notified. It became a probable case given the symptoms the patient was showing.
It was concluded at today's meeting of the Infectious Diseases Commission that a proposal should be put forward to the health minister to recommend health monitoring of the person refusing to get tested in order the institutions to be allowed to act and the case to be closed sooner.
"We expect the case to be resolved in the coming days," Commission spokesman Zlate Mehmedovikj said adding that the person will be located and tested following the proposal and with the help of the State Sanitary Health Inspectorate and the police.
Doctor Petlichkovski said some 3,300 monkeypox tests are available at the Institute for Public Health. Monkeypox symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph nodes and a rash.