The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that investigations are ongoing regarding the increasing number of monkeypox cases worldwide. He added that the circumstances show that there may have been an undetected transmission for some time.
WHO's monkeypox technical lead Dr. Rosamund Lewis, noted that it is unclear how long the virus has been spreading under the radar in Africa and they do not know whether it is too late to contain it.
WHO Confirms Over 550 Monkeypox Cases Worldwide
The UN health agency has confirmed more than 550 cases of monkeypox in 30 countries where the virus is not endemic, CNBC reports. Most cases were reported among men who have sex with men. They tested positive for the virus at sexual health clinics.
Monkeypox is endemic in several countries, such as the Central African Republic, the Dominican Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Cameroon. However, recent months showed that the infection has already reached Europe, the US, and other countries.
Tedros emphasized that anyone can catch monkeypox through close contact, suggesting against stigmatizing people of certain groups. He also called on countries to increase their surveillance to immediately identify cases in the greater population, believing that the virus has been spreading under the radar.
As of now, no deaths have been reported from current outbreaks in North America and Europe. Nonetheless, WHO's COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove warns that it could spread among vulnerable populations, like pregnant women and children in these affected areas.
The WHO has been monitoring monkeypox in Africa for the past five decades and recorded cases in the continent each year. In 2022, Africa has already reported 70 deaths from monkeypox. Experts are considering using vaccines to promote collective immunity in the human population.
Is Mass Vaccination Against Monkeypox Necessary?
There is no need for mass vaccination against monkeypox yet, noting that current cases are described as an outbreak in a specific community that engages in travel and has physical contact, according to Tedros.
He further emphasized fighting stigma toward particular groups of people. As Science Alert reported, Tedros pointed out that it is wrong to stigmatize infected people as it could prevent monkeypox patients from seeking medical care that may lead to further transmission.
Lewis insisted on cooperation from everyone to prevent the onward spread of the monkeypox virus through contact tracing and isolation of infected people. Vaccines that were developed against smallpox were 85% effective in preventing the virus, but supplies are still not enough as of today.
The WHO is not proposing mass vaccination for monkeypox at this time. However, Turkey's state-run news outlet Anadolu Agency reported that Tedros calls on countries to vaccinate their healthcare workers and those who work on the frontlines to be protected from the virus.
Furthermore, Tedros said that the trend of cases and deaths from monkeypox is slowly declining globally. However, he warned that this should be interpreted with caution since many countries have also lessened their testing efforts.
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