The World Health Organisation (WHO) says over one thousand cases of Monkeypox have been reported in non-endemic countries.
During a media briefing in Geneva, WHO reported that it is extremely concerning that these countries have been affected.
According to WHO, the disease can be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids. It says they are working around the clock to tackle the disease before it spreads even further.
WHO Director General, Tedros Ghebreyesus has taken a swipe at the developed world for suddenly showing an interest in tackling Monkeypox.
Over 1,000 #monkeypox cases have been reported from 29 countries where the disease is not endemic, with no deaths reported so far in these countries. @WHO urges affected countries to identify all cases and contacts to control the outbreak and prevent onward spread. pic.twitter.com/5V9kJaM2FA
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 8, 2022
So far, 1400 suspected cases and 66 deaths of Monkeypox have been reported in Africa this year.
Dr Ghebreyesus says, “This virus has been circulating and killing in Africa for decades. It’s unfortunate that the international community is paying attention to Monkeypox because it has appeared in high income countries. Those living with the threat deserve the same care.”
The disease has been a major concern for years in West and Central Africa, but some cases of the disease have been reported in Europe. Dr Ghebreyesus says they are monitoring these cases.
WHO’s Dr Sylvie Briand says they are willing to offer assistance to affected countries, but they must ramp up their healthcare plans to limit the spread of the disease.
“We need to do potency testing on vaccines but we don’t have numbers yet, we need to anticipate what is important to prevent amplification of cases, we need to use our tools and ensure that there’s no spread.”
The WHO’s Technical Lead for Monkeypox, Rosamund Lewis says no one should relax.
“At the moment, cases that have been reported are primarily non-endemic setting, among primarily men who have sex with men. There are few cases of women not that many there’s still an opportunity to prevent onward spread,” Lewis adds.
Meanwhile, Ghebreyesus says COVID-19 pandemic has not ended yet, saying that the perception that the pandemic is over is understandable but misguided.
“More than 7 000 people lost their lives to the pandemic last week and a new dangerous variant could emerge,” he reiterates.
Over 1 000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in non-endemic countries: WHO
