Content of the article
LONDON – The World Health Organization says “sustained transmission” of monkeypox worldwide could see the virus begin to spread to high-risk groups such as pregnant women, immunocompromised people and children.
The WHO said Wednesday it was investigating reports of infected children, including two cases in Britain, as well as monitoring reports in Spain and France. None of the cases in children have been serious.
The virus has now been identified in more than 50 new countries outside the countries of Africa where it is endemic. Cases are also on the rise in these countries, said the WHO, which called for increased evidence.
Content of the article
“I am concerned about sustained transmission because it would suggest that the virus (is) being established and could spread to high-risk groups such as children, immunocompromised women and pregnant women,” WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. online briefing from Geneva. Wednesday.
There have been more than 3,400 cases of smallpox and one death since the outbreak began in May, largely in Europe among men who have sex with men, according to a WHO count. There have also been more than 1,500 cases and 66 deaths in countries where it is common to spread.
Last week, the WHO ruled that the outbreak did not yet represent a public health emergency, its highest alert level. However, Tedros said the WHO was closely monitoring the outbreak and would reconvene the committee “as soon as possible” to assess whether it remained the case.
The United Nations agency said it was also working on a mechanism to distribute vaccines more equitably, after countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States suggested they were willing to share their stored smallpox vaccines. , which also protect against monkeypox. (Reporting by Jennifer Rigby and Mrinalika Roy; Editing by Catherine Evans and Alison Williams)