Monkeypox – 1,000 cases reported worldwide, WHO fears virus will settle in non-endemic countries
There is a real risk that the monkeypox virus will take hold in non-endemic countries, with 1,000 cases already reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, June 8. The organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, however, assured the press conference that this scenario can be avoided.
He, therefore, encouraged countries to increase their health surveillance measures to “identify all cases and contact cases to control this outbreak and prevent contagion”. “WHO is particularly concerned about the risks of this virus to vulnerable groups, including children and pregnant women,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The WHO has repeatedly pointed out that the “sudden and unexpected appearance” of viruses in non-endemic countries suggests that they have been circulating for some time, but that their transmission has not been detected. The vast majority of reported cases so far have involved “men having sex with men”, but a few cases of community transmission, including among women, have been reported.
