The monkeypox outbreaks in non-endemic nations might be contained and human-to-human transmission of the virus stopped, the World Health Organization (WHO) mentioned on May 23 (2022).
Fewer than 200 confirmed and suspected instances had been recorded to this point, the WHO’s rising illness lead Maria Van Kerkhove mentioned.
“This is a containable situation, particularly in the countries where we are seeing these outbreaks that are happening across Europe – in North America as well,” she mentioned throughout a dwell interplay session on the United Nations well being company’s social media channels.
“We want to stop human-to-human transmission.
“We can do this in the non-endemic countries.
“We’re in a situation where we can use public health tools of early identification, supported isolation of cases.
“We can stop human-to-human transmission.”
Van Kerkhove mentioned transmission was occurring through “close physical contact: skin-to-skin contact”, and that most people recognized to this point had not had a extreme case of the illness.
Rosamund Lewis, who heads the smallpox secretariat on the WHO emergencies programme, mentioned monkeypox has been recognized for not less than 40 years and some instances had beforehand appeared in Europe during the last 5 years in travellers from the endemic areas.
However, “this is the first time we’re seeing cases across many countries at the same time and in people who have not travelled to the endemic regions in Africa”, she mentioned.
She cited Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as endemic nations.
“It is primarily in the animal kingdom in forested areas.
“Now we’re seeing it more in urban areas,” she mentioned.
Lewis mentioned it was not but recognized whether or not the virus had mutated, however viruses within the wider orthopoxvirus group “tend not to mutate and they tend to be fairly stable”.
“We don’t yet have evidence that there is mutation in the virus itself,” she mentioned.
Virologists will likely be finding out the primary genomic sequences of the virus coming by means of, she added.
Van Kerkhove mentioned a significant international assembly this week would talk about analysis, epidemiology, diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines associated to the an infection.
Andy Seale, methods advisor on the WHO’s international HIV, hepatitis and sexually-transmitted infections programmes, harassed that whereas the virus might be caught by means of sexual exercise, it was not a sexually-transmitted illness (STD).
“While we are seeing some cases amongst men who have sex with men, this is not a gay disease, as some people in social media have attempted to label it. That’s just not the case.
“This demographic is generally a demographic that really does take care of health screening…
“They’ve been proactive about responding to unusual symptoms.
“Anybody can contract monkeypox through close contact.”
Van Kerkhove added that as surveillance widened, specialists did count on to see extra instances. – AFP Relaxnews
