Geneva –
The risk of monkeypox being established in non-endemic countries is real, the WHO warned on Wednesday, with more than 1,000 cases confirmed in those countries.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the UN health agency did not recommend mass vaccination against the virus and added that no deaths had been reported from the outbreaks.
“The risk of monkeypox being established in non-endemic countries is real,” Tedros told a news conference.
Zoonotic disease is endemic in humans in nine African countries, but outbreaks have been reported in several other states over the past month, most notably in Europe, and especially in Britain, Spain and Portugal.
“More than 1,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox from 29 countries that are not endemic to the disease have now been reported to the WHO,” Tedros said.
“So far, no deaths have been reported in these countries. Cases have been reported mainly, but not exclusively, among men who have sex with men.
“Some countries are now beginning to report cases of apparent community transmission, including some cases in women.”
FILE – Health workers check passengers arriving from abroad for symptoms of monkeypox at Chennai Anna International Airport, India, on June 3, 2022.
Greece became the last country to confirm its first case of illness on Wednesday, and health officials there said it was a man who had recently traveled to Portugal and was hospitalized in stable condition.
Early symptoms of chickenpox include high fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a chickenpox-like blistering rash.
Tedros said he was particularly concerned about the risk the virus poses to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women and children.
He said the sudden and unexpected appearance of monkeypox outside endemic countries suggested that there may be undetected transmission for some time, but it was not known for how long.
A case of monkeypox in a non-endemic country is considered an outbreak.
Tedros said that while this was “clearly worrying”, the virus has been circulating and killing in Africa for decades, with more than 1,400 suspected cases and 66 deaths so far this year.
“Communities living with the threat of this virus every day deserve the same concern, the same care and the same access to tools to protect themselves,” he said.
FACT SHEET – This photograph provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was taken in 1997 during an investigation into a smallpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Vaccines
In the few places where vaccines are available, they are being used to protect those who may be exposed, such as health workers.
Tedros said post-exposure vaccination, ideally within four days, could be considered for high-risk close contacts, such as sexual partners or household members.
He added that the WHO will publish guidelines in the coming days on clinical care, infection prevention and control, vaccination and community protection.
He said people with symptoms should isolate themselves at home and consult a healthcare worker, while people in the same household should avoid close contact.
Few hospitalizations have been reported, apart from isolated patients, the WHO said last weekend.
Sylvie Briand, WHO’s director of prevention and preparedness for epidemics and pandemics, said the smallpox vaccine could be used for smallpox, another orthopoxvirus, with a high degree of effectiveness.
The WHO is trying to determine how many doses are currently available and find out from manufacturers what their production and distribution capabilities are.