MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Sailor tests negative for mpox but positive for chickenpox in Argentina

A diagnosis of mpox cannot be made just out of looks, the WHO admitted

Authorities in the Argentine province of Santa Fe confirmed Wednesday that the crew member of the INA LOTTE cereal freighter ship with symptoms compatible with monkeypox tested negative for the malady the World Health Organization declared last week to be a PHEIC (public health emergency of international concern). However, the man did have chickenpox.

The Liberian-flagged vessel had been isolated earlier this week off the port of San Lorenzo on the Paraná River just north of Rosario after the captain reported that medical help was needed.

“The diagnosis is varicella zoster, the analysis was negative for smallpox. The way of contagion in these diseases is different,” Santa Fe Director of Health Promotion and Prevention Analía Chumpitaz explained. “Only one person [on board] showed compatible signs, so a sample was taken from those lesions,” Chumpitaz also pointed out.

The WHO has already admitted it is not always easy to identify monkeypox, as other infections and conditions can look similar. “It is important to distinguish it from chickenpox, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, herpes, syphilis, other sexually transmitted infections and drug allergies. Therefore, laboratory testing is critical so that patients are treated as soon as possible and further spread is prevented,” the United Nations agency stressed.

“The important thing here is that the alert was made in time and the population was not put at risk,” Santa Fe Director of Epidemiology Carolina Cudós underlined. “This will probably continue to happen with other patients,” she also foresaw. “We know that we have a province with a lot of movement of people and the important thing for the population is to know that from the government we are working so that, in case of a positive case, we act quickly,” she argued.