The World Health Organization said, on Wednesday, that more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported globally from 78 countries, the majority of them in Europe.
Reuters reported that the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency on Saturday.
So far, 98% of cases have been reported outside countries in Africa where the virus is spread in men who have sex with men, the World Health Organization said.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged that group to consider reducing the number of new sexual partners and sharing contact details with any new partners.
“This is an outbreak that can be stopped,” Tedros told a news conference in Geneva. “The best way to do that is to reduce the risk of exposure.” “This means making safe choices for yourself and others.”
Mike Ryan, director of emergencies at the World Health Organization, said monkeypox is in the process of renaming it, to avoid the name being “weaponised” or used in a racist way.
The UN agency recommends vaccination for high-risk groups, including health care workers, and men who have sex with men with multiple sexual partners.
She cautioned that it takes several weeks after getting the second dose of the vaccine for full protection, so people should take other precautions until that point.
About 10% of patients have been hospitalized under the current outbreak and five have died, the World Health Organization said, all in Africa.
Monkeypox has been a globally neglected public health problem in parts of Africa for decades, but cases outside endemic countries began to be reported in May.
It generally causes mild to moderate symptoms, including fever, fatigue, and painful skin lesions that go away within a few weeks.
Tedros said there are about 16 million doses of the approved vaccine available, but only in large quantities, so it would take several months to put them into vials.
He added that the World Health Organization is urging countries with stocks to share the vaccine while supplies are limited. It is estimated that between 5 million and 10 million doses of the vaccine will be needed to protect all at-risk groups.
MI