Monkey Pox is 'accelerating' fast, warn WHO officials: 10 points

At least nine European countries have been affected by the monkeypox virus, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, with instances also reported in the United States, Canada, and Australia. A top health official had warned that cases could 'accelerate' when the WHO held an emergency meeting on Friday. "I am concerned that transmission could accelerate as we reach the summer season, with mass gatherings, festivals, and parties," WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge was cited as saying by AFP.

Updates,
1) Kluge has described the spread as 'atypical.' He continued, "Except one recent case, none of the recent cases has any relevant travel history to locations where monkeypox is endemic."

2) In Europe, nearly 100 cases are confirmed or suspected.

3) On Friday, 24 more cases were reported in Spain, bringing the total number of cases to 30. In addition, due to a possible link to the epidemic, a sauna in Madrid has been compelled to close. 

4) Following Reuters, Germany's military forces medical department stated that this was the greatest and most extensive outbreak of Monkeypox ever observed in Europe. On Friday, the European nation reported the first case in the country.

5) The WHO stated that the Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis that generally occurs in forested areas of Central and West Africa with accidental human infections. The monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus family, causes it.

6) According to the World Health Organization, "By droplet exposure via inhaled big droplets and contact with infected skin sores or contaminated items, the transmission usually occurs." Monkeypox takes 6 to 13 days to incubate, although it can take 5 to 21 days. "The condition is frequently self-limiting, with symptoms usually resolving spontaneously within 14 to 21 days."

7)  A senior US administration official stated that there seems to be 'low public risk' currently.  

8) Health officials believe that transmission has been ongoing for some time and that most instances are spread through close contact.

9) The monkeypox virus, which has mostly been detected in African countries, is unlikely to spread as quickly as Covid.

10) Following Reuters, Fabian Leendertz of the Robert Koch Institute stated, "This outbreak, on the other hand, is unlikely to persist long. Contact tracing can help isolate the cases, and some treatments and vaccines can be administered if necessary." 

Also Read: Monkeypox confirmed in Massachusetts; first US case identified in 2022

Also Read: Monkeypox: Know early symptoms, how is it spread, other details

Also Read: The world is now talking of Monkey B Virus; Here is what you should know

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