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The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the time to contain outbreaks of the monkeypox virus in non-endemic countries is declining.
“The risk of monkeypox being established in non-endemic countries is real,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned in a briefing on Wednesday.
“But this scenario can be prevented,” he noted. “The WHO urges affected countries to do everything possible to identify all cases and contacts to control this outbreak and prevent the spread of smallpox.”
The UN health agency said more than 1,000 cases had been reported in 29 countries in the current outbreak outside of African countries, where the disease is spreading most frequently.
No deaths were reported.
MONKEYPOX GUIDANCE: CDC REMOVES CALL FOR TRAVEL MASKS
More cases of smallpox were reported in the United States, bringing the total to 40.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York now has nine reported cases of the virus and California has eight.
Florida stays at four and Illinois and Colorado have three.
Utah, Hawaii and the District of Columbia reported two cases each.
Arizona, Georgia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington state have one.
CDC ADVANCES MONKEYPOX ALERT TO LEVEL 2, RECOMMENDS MASK DURING TRAVEL
On Monday, the agency raised its alert level for smallpox monkey at level 2, warning people to take “enhanced precautions.”
While most new cases of monkeypox have been seen in gay or bisexual men, experts warn that anyone is at potential risk.
People are usually infected with the monkeypox virus by contact with skin lesions or body fluids of infected animals or humans or by contact with materials contaminated with the virus.
Rosamund Lewis, WHO’s technical director on monkeypox, said the risk of aerosol is not yet fully known and instructed health workers treating patients with monkeypox to wear a mask.
The CDC told Fox News on Tuesday that it recommends masking high-risk situations in countries where there is a current outbreak of smallpox.
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Smallpox monkey, which is related to smallpox, has milder symptoms.
Some of these symptoms include fever, chills, rashes, and pain, before injuries develop.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Julia Musto is a journalist for Fox News Digital. You can find her on Twitter at @JuliaElenaMusto.