The head of Europe at the World Health Organization warned on Friday that cases of smallpox in the region have tripled in the past two weeks and urged countries to do more to ensure that the disease before rare it is not fixed on the continent.
Dr Hans Kluge said in a statement that efforts needed to be stepped up despite the UN health agency’s decision last week that the escalation of the outbreak still did not justify a global health emergency.
“Urgent and coordinated action is essential if we are to turn a corner in the race to reverse the spread of this disease,” Kluge said.
To date, more than 5,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 51 countries around the world, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kluge said the number of infections in Europe accounts for about 90% of the world total, noting that 31 countries in the WHO European region have now identified cases.
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Read more: “Sustained transmission” of monkeypox will endanger vulnerable groups, warns WHO
Kluge said the data reported to the WHO show that 99% of cases have been in men and most of them have been in men who have sex with men. But he said there were now “a small number” of cases among household contacts, including children. Most people reported symptoms such as rash, fever, fatigue, muscle aches, vomiting, and chills.
Scientists warn that anyone who is in close physical contact with someone who has smallpox or their clothes or sheets is at risk of infection, regardless of their sexual orientation. Vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women are believed to be more likely to suffer from serious illnesses.
About 10% of patients were hospitalized for treatment or for isolation, and one person was admitted to an intensive care unit. No deaths were reported.
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Kluge said the problem of stigmatization in some countries could cause some people to worry about seeking health care and said WHO was working with partners, including organizers of gay pride events.
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In the UK, which has the largest outbreak of smallpox beyond Africa, officials have noted that the disease is spreading to “defined sexual networks of gays, bisexuals or men who have sex with men”. British health authorities said there was no sign to suggest sustained transmission beyond these populations.
A senior WHO adviser said in May that the increase in cases in Europe was probably related to the sexual activity of men at two rave parties in Spain and Belgium, speculating that their appearance in the gay and bisexual community was be a “random event.” British experts have said most cases in the UK include men who reported having sex with other men in places like saunas and sex clubs.
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Prior to the gay pride events in the UK this weekend, London’s leading public health doctor asked people who had symptoms of smallpox, such as swollen glands or blisters, to stay home.
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WHO Director for Europe Kluge called on countries to increase their surveillance and genetic sequencing capabilities of monkeypox so that cases can be quickly identified and measures taken to prevent further transmission. He said the purchase of vaccines “must apply the principles of fairness.”
The main vaccine used for smallpox was originally developed for smallpox and the European Medicines Agency said earlier this week that it was beginning to assess whether the smallpox vaccine should be authorized. The WHO has said that supplies of the vaccine, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic, are extremely limited.
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Some countries, such as the United Kingdom and Germany, have already begun vaccinating people at high risk for smallpox; Recently, the UK has expanded its immunization program to offer the vaccine to mostly gay and bisexual men who have multiple sexual partners and are believed to be the most vulnerable.
Until May, it had never been known that monkeypox caused large outbreaks beyond Africa, where the disease is endemic in several countries and mainly causes limited outbreaks when it reaches people of infected wild animals.
To date, there have been some 1,800 suspected cases of smallpox in the monkey, including more than 70 deaths in Africa. Vaccines have never been used to stop smallpox outbreaks in Africa.
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The WHO’s Africa office said this week that countries with vaccine supplies “are reserving them primarily for their own populations”.
© 2022 The Canadian Press