The World Health Organization has said there is a “window” of opportunity to contain a recent outbreak of smallpox that has seen cases spread across Europe, the US and Australia.
Nurfoto | Nurfoto | Getty Images
The World Health Organization said Monday it is too early to say whether a recent outbreak of smallpox in the monkey could cause a global pandemic, but noted that there is currently a window of opportunity to curb the rise in cases.
The public health agency said there were “still many unknowns” related to the increase in cases in non-endemic countries outside Africa. The WHO said the virus should not be confused with Covid-19 and that the risks to the general public remain low.
“We don’t want people to be scared or scared and think it’s like Covid or maybe worse,” said Sylvie Briand, WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, during a briefing on the outbreak. .
“This monkeypox disease is not Covid-19, it’s a different virus,” he added.
Smallpox is a rare but usually mild viral infection that can cause flu-like symptoms such as rashes, fever, headaches, muscle aches, swelling, and back pain. It is usually transmitted through injuries, body fluids, or materials that have been in contact with an infected person or animal.
Although sporadic outbreaks of monkeypox are not uncommon in Central and West African countries where the virus is endemic, health experts have been baffled by a recent increase in cases in Europe, North America and Australia, which raises fears of the spread of the community.
On Sunday, there were 435 confirmed and suspected cases in 24 countries outside Africa, according to Our World in Data. No deaths have been reported in the current outbreak.
A “window” of opportunity for containment
When asked on Monday whether the recent outbreak could turn into a pandemic, WHO technical director for smallpox smallpox, Rosamund Lewis, said: “The answer is we don’t know, but we don’t. we believe”.
Monkeypox is a DNA virus, that is, it contains DNA in its genetic material. Health experts do not yet know much about its genetic makeup, but current data suggest that it is not transmitted or mutated as easily as other viruses such as Covid-19, an RNA virus.
“At the moment, we’re not worried about a global pandemic,” Lewis said.
However, he noted that the increase in individual cases was a cause for concern, as it could allow the virus to “explode into a niche” and be more easily transmitted between people.
Collectively, the world has a chance to stop this outbreak. There is a window.
Rosamund Lewis
Technical responsible for smallpox in the WHO
Lewis urged people and health professionals to be aware of the growing risks of the virus and to be alert to symptoms. He added that gay and bisexual men should be especially aware of the virus, which has so far shown a particular concentration among men who have sex with other men, although it is not defined as a sexually transmitted disease.
“Collectively, the world has a chance to stop this outbreak. There’s a window,” Lewis said.
Together with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the UK National Health Service, the WHO has outlined several ways in which people can protect themselves against the virus, including the practice of good health. hygiene and safe sex.
Once a suspicious case has been identified, it should be isolated until its lesions have formed a crust and the crusts have fallen off, and contact tracing should begin. Contacts of infected patients should be monitored for symptoms for a period of 21 days and should not donate blood, cells, tissues, organs, breast milk or semen while under surveillance. say the WHO.
“Any case should be manageable by tracking and isolating contacts,” Lewis added.