As of May 26, a total of 257 cases of smallpox had been reported in 23 countries.
The World Health Organization says smallpox in monkeys poses a moderate risk to general public health worldwide after cases have been reported in countries where the disease is not normally found.
“The risk to public health could be high if the virus takes the opportunity to establish itself as a human pathogen and spread to groups most at risk for serious diseases, such as young children and immunosuppressed people. said the WHO.
The WHO said the sudden appearance of monkeypox at the same time in several non-endemic countries suggested undetected transmission for some time and recent amplifying events.
As of May 26, a total of 257 confirmed cases and 120 suspected cases from 23 non-virus-endemic member states had been reported, the health agency said on Sunday.
There were no fatalities.
The agency said it expected more cases to be reported as surveillance expanded to endemic and non-endemic countries.
Smallpox is an infectious disease that is usually mild and is endemic to parts of West and Central Africa. It is transmitted by close contact, so it can be contained relatively easily through measures such as self-isolation and hygiene.
Most of the reported cases have been detected in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal.
“The vast majority of reported cases so far have no established travel links to an endemic area and have been submitted through primary care or sexual health services,” the UN agency said.