Unlike COVID-19 reporting, the public will not be informed of the specific locations of Monkeypox outbreaks in New Zealand.
In last week’s interview with express magazine, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand’s Interim Director of Outbreak Response Matt Hannant, confirmed the location of potential Monkeypox (MXP) clusters will not be reported.
“To protect the privacy of cases we are not commenting on how and where Monkeypox transmission has occurred to date,” he told express.
Last week it was announced there had been a further five cases of the community transmission of Monkeypox, bringing the total number of Monkeypox cases both active and recovered to 33.
In his in-depth interview, Hannant pointed out that, “testing for Monkeypox is free and patients will not be charged any consultation fee at their GP, primary health provider or sexual health clinic.”
As at 9.15am on 27 October, 16.7% of Kiwi’s who have had a Monkeypox test, have tested positive for MPX (28 out of 167), a high figure that highlights the importance of getting tested.
Burnett Foundation Aotearoa advise to get tested for Monkeypox if you have:
- Any new lesions, skin changes, spots or rashes. (Make sure to look out for lesions on your genitals or around your anus where they may be less visible).
- Pain, discomfort, or bleeding in your butt.
