The World Health Organization has declared the Monkeypox outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”.
The maximum emergency alert came after the WHO committee convened for a second emergency meeting, following a global surge of more than 16,000 cases in 75 countries. There have also been five deaths linked to the outbreak, including three in Nigeria and two in the Central African Republic.
According to the Australian Department of Health and Human Services (DHAC), there have been 41 confirmed cases in Australia as of July 19.
This includes 22 in NSW, 15 in Victoria, two in the Australian Capital Territory, one in Queensland and one in South Australia.
At a media briefing early Sunday morning, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that while there was “a clear risk of further international spread,” the “risk of “interference with international traffic remains low for now.”
“The WHO assessment is that the risk of #monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions except the European region where we assess the risk as high,” he said.
“We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little and that meets the criteria of the International Health Regulations.”
Dr Ghebreyesus also said the outbreak was currently concentrated “among men who have sex with men, particularly those with multiple sexual partners”, but urged against “stigma and discrimination”.
“That means this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies to the right groups,” he said.
“Therefore, it is essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect both health, human rights and dignity of the affected communities”.
According to DHAC, the virus “usually starts with fever and swollen lymph nodes and can also include headache, muscle aches, joint pain and back pain.”
Most patients will also experience rashes and sores that can occur on one part or all over the body. This includes the mouth, eyes and genitals. The lesions have been described as “the blisters you see with chicken pox, but bigger.”
Onset of symptoms can occur anywhere from five to 21 days after infection, but symptoms usually appear between seven and 14 days.
There is also a vaccine and treatment available in Australia.
This is the second time in two years that the WHO has declared a global emergency. Currently, the alert has also been issued for the Covid-19 pandemic and the bet to eradicate polio. The same classification was also given to the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak and the 2015-2016 Zika virus epidemic.