The ERG/AOP have announced that they will be teaming up with Public Health following the rise of Monkeypox in UK and Spain.

A statement from AOP/ERG follows below:

There’s absolutely no doubt that working together to ensure best practice to combat ill-health for any sector of our community ranks high on our agenda,’ Equality Rights Group (ERG)/Action on Poverty (AOP) representatives commented recently in addressing a collaborative project with the Ministry of Health to combat monkeypox.

‘We’ve offered the GHA whatever assistance is helpful on this project,’ a Spokesman stated.

‘The move has come about following Chairman Felix Alvarez’s contact with Minister for Health, Albert Isola, expressing concern in the management of a monkeypox outbreak which appears to be growing in the UK and in Spain. Resulting from that, we were happy to engage with Director for Public Health, Dr. Helen Carter, in discussions and plans for the best way forward in averting difficulties here in Gibraltar.

‘Anything we can do to assist Dr Carter will be energy well spent, worth while and with great pleasure,’ the statement continued. ‘We engaged in discussions detailing the issues at hand in terms both of medical approaches and social avenues to best deliver suitable and effective preventative and curative treatment as required.

‘A representative of the Ministry for Equality also participated in talks, and a useful way forward was drawn for collective work between stakeholder parties.

‘Monkeypox can be a serious viral infection which, with sufficient information, understanding and education on the subject, can be minimised and properly treated. It is rarely life-threatening. ERG/AOP is therefore focused on contributing to guaranteeing we offer the best possible support to the community on as fundamental a protected right as health,’ the statement closed.