More than 1,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported to the World Health Organization in the current outbreak outside the countries where it is most common in Africa.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk of monkeypox being established in these non-endemic countries is real but can be prevented at this time.
Twenty-nine countries have reported cases in the current outbreak, which began in May.
No one was reported dead.
At a media conference in Geneva, Tedros also said there had been more than 1,400 suspected cases of monkeypox this year in Africa and 66 deaths.
“It is an unfortunate reflection of the world we live in that the international community is only paying attention to the smallpox of the monkey because it has appeared in high-income countries,” he said.
He said the outbreak showed signs of community transmission in some countries.
The WHO recommends isolating people with smallpox from monkeys at home.
Rosamund Lewis, WHO’s technical director on monkeypox, said “close interpersonal contact” was the main way to spread monkeypox, but added that the risk of transmission was not yet fully understood. of aerosols.
Healthcare workers treating patients with smallpox should wear a mask, he said.
Cases are still predominantly among men who have sex with men, the WHO added, although cases have been reported in women.
The United Nations agency is working with organizations such as the UN AIDS and community groups to raise awareness and stop the transmission.
Post-exposure vaccination, including for health workers or close contacts, including sexual partners, ideally within four days of exposure, may be considered in some countries, the WHO added.
Studies have shown that the vaccines used are designed for smallpox, the most dangerous related virus that the world eradicated in 1980, but also work to protect against smallpox.
WHO senior official Sylvie Briand said the agency is assessing the potency of stored smallpox vaccines and contacting manufacturers and countries that have previously committed to vaccines.