WHO assesses the risk of monkeypox

“The public health risk could become high if the virus takes advantage of opportunities to establish itself as a human pathogen and spread to groups at risk of severe illness, such as young children and people with immunosuppression,” WHO said.

As of May 26, a total of 257 confirmed cases and 120 suspected cases of monkeypox had been reported in 23 countries, none of which are known to be endemic to the virus. There have been no deaths.

WHO also informed that the sudden appearance ofsmallpoxSimultaneous outbreaks in several countries suggest that transmission may have gone undetected for some time. In addition, several recent events have triggered outbreaks.

The agency expects more cases to be reported as disease surveillance in countries expands.

To date, more than 20 countries around the world have recorded cases of monkeypox, including more than 100 suspected cases in countries where the disease is rarely recorded.

Monkeypox is a contagious disease that is usually mild and is endemic in parts of West and Central Africa. It is spread by close contact and can therefore be relatively easily prevented through measures such as self-isolation and hygiene.

Most of the cases in the new outbreak have been detected in the UK, Spain and Portugal.

“The vast majority of cases so far have had no link to endemic areas,” the UN health agency said.

The main symptom of monkeypox is a rash that begins one to three days after the fever starts. The red spots enlarge, turn into pus-filled blisters, crust over, and fall off in two to four weeks. The rash usually starts on the face and spreads to other parts of the body, such as the hands, feet, and genitals.

In humans, the virus is transmitted through animal bites or direct contact with blood, body fluids, skin wounds, and respiratory droplets of infected animals.

There is currently no specific vaccine for monkeypox. Smallpox vaccine has been shown to provide 85% protection against monkeypox.

However, the original smallpox vaccine is no longer widely available. Some countries have or are implementing policies to provide the vaccine to high-risk groups.