UNITED NATIONS / GENEVA: A total of 780 laboratory-confirmed cases of simian smallpox in 27 countries in four WHO regions that are not endemic to the virus have been reported or identified from 13 May to 2 June. of smallpox, according to the World Health Organization. . The UN health agency said that while epidemiological investigations are ongoing, most of the cases reported so far have been submitted through sexual health services or other health services in health centers. primary or secondary care and have involved mainly, but not exclusively, men who have sex with men. MSM). Although the West African virus clade has been identified so far from case samples, most confirmed cases with a travel history reported trips to European and North American countries, rather than from West or Central Africa where the monkeypox virus is endemic. “Confirmation of monkeypox in people who have not traveled to an endemic area is atypical, and even a case of monkeypox in a non-endemic country is considered an outbreak. Although most cases are not associated with travel from endemic areas, member states are also reporting a reduced number of cases in travelers from Nigeria, as noted earlier, “he said on Sunday. The endemic countries for smallpox are Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana (only identified in animals), Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone. . Benin and South Sudan have documented imports in the past. The countries currently reporting cases of the West African clade are Cameroon and Nigeria, the WHO said. The sudden and unexpected appearance of monkeypox simultaneously in several non-endemic countries suggests that there may have been undetected transmission for an unknown length of time followed by recent amplifier events. The WHO assesses global risk as moderate, noting that this is the first time that many cases and groups of smallpox have been reported simultaneously in non-endemic and endemic countries in very different WHO geographical areas. The WHO said it continues to receive updates on the situation in endemic countries. As of June 2, WHO has reported 780 laboratory-confirmed cases in accordance with International Health Regulations (IHR) or identified by WHO from official public sources in 27 non-endemic countries in four Regions. of the WHO. This represents an increase of 523 cases confirmed in the laboratory (+ 203%) since the news of the disease outbreak on May 29, when a total of 257 cases were reported. As of June 2, there have been no deaths associated with the current outbreak of smallpox in non-endemic countries, however, cases and deaths from endemic countries continue to be reported. While research is ongoing, preliminary data from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays indicate that monkeypox virus strains detected in Europe and other non-endemic areas belong to the West African clade. Most cases were reported in the WHO European region (20 countries). Confirmed cases have also been reported in the Region of the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and the Western Pacific Region. In addition to cases reported or identified in non-endemic countries, the WHO continues to receive updates on the status of ongoing monkeypox outbreaks in endemic countries in the African region through established surveillance mechanisms (integrated disease surveillance and response). . From January to June 1, 2022, 1408 suspected and 44 confirmed cases were reported, including 66 deaths in seven endemic countries. The WHO said it continues to support the exchange of information on this monkeypox outbreak. Response to clinical and public health incidents has been activated in the WHO and in many Member States to coordinate comprehensive case findings, contact follow-up, laboratory research, clinical management, isolation and implementation. of infection prevention and control measures.