Monkeypox Photo: VCG
Governments, health partners and civil society must work together urgently to keep the smallpox of monkeys in the European region at bay, Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, said here on Wednesday. (WHO).
“Europe remains the epicenter of this escalation of the outbreak, with 25 countries reporting more than 1,500 cases, or 85 per cent of the global total,” he said, stressing that the magnitude of the outbreak posed a real risk.
“The longer the virus has been circulating, the more it spreads and the stronger the disease will be in non-endemic countries.”
According to Kluge, monkeypox has been endemic to parts of West and Central Africa for decades and has been neglected by the rest of the world.
“We have seen once again how a challenge in one part of the world can be so easily and quickly a challenge for all of us and how we must all work together to ensure a coordinated response that is fair to all.”
Kluge also stressed the importance of identifying and supporting close contacts of cases as well as self-monitoring for 21 days for any early signs of smallpox, such as fever.
“Once identified, patients with suspected or confirmed monkeypox should be isolated until their symptoms are completely resolved, with the necessary infection control measures and the support they need to carry them out until to his recovery “.
Although most patients reported in Europe have been men who have sex with men, Kluge stressed that the monkeypox virus is not associated with any specific group.
“The stigmatization of certain populations undermines the public health response as we have seen time and time again in contexts as diverse as HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis, and VOCID-19.”
Kluge also criticized any future move by Western countries to store what is currently a limited supply of monkeypox vaccines, calling this a “first approach” that could only have negative global consequences and wondering if the world has “truthfully learned lessons” from COVID. -19.
Cooperation, the ability to generate and share critical knowledge across borders, communities, and population groups remains “our best tool” for fighting the monkeypox virus, he said, and called for regional collaboration. “authentic and selfless.”
The WHO said on Tuesday that it would convene its Emergency Committee next week to advise on whether the current spread of monkeypox in non-endemic countries constitutes an international public health emergency.
Xinhua