Monkeypox: Over 1,000 cases reported from 29 ‘non-endemic’ nations, says WHO

World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said that more than 1,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 29 countries that are classified as non-endemic. The WHO boss confirmed the development in a tweet.  

He tweeted with a two-minute-nine-second-long video, “Over 1,000 monkeypox cases have been reported from 29 countries where the disease is not endemic, with no deaths reported so far in these countries. WHO urges affected countries to identify all cases and contacts to control the outbreak and prevent onward spread.” 

He clarified in the video that no deaths have been reported from these countries, adding that some countries have begun to report cases of community transmission. Ghebreyesus said, “The risk of monkeypox getting established in non-endemic countries is real.” 

The WHO chief also talked about effective ways in which people can protect themselves and others against monkeypox. These include avoiding close contact with an infected person if you share a house with them. Tedros further mentioned, “There are antivirals and vaccines approved for monkeypox, but these are in limited supply.” 

WHO is working on a coordination mechanism for the distribution of supplies based on public health needs and fairness and does not recommend mass vaccination against monkeypox, he underscored. Vaccinations for those at high-risk such as health workers and laboratory personnel shall be prioritized in countries where the vaccines against monkeypox, as per the WHO boss.  

As per WHO, monkeypox can be particularly concerning about for vulnerable groups including children, pregnant women and people with weakened immunity due to other health conditions. Incubation period for the disease stands at 6-13 days but can be longer from 5-21 days.  

Symptoms of monkypox are fever, headache, muscle ache, back ache, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, skin rashes or lesions.