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Near 100 monkeypox cases confirmed in 12 countries, may spread globally: WHO

US begins clinical trial to test monkeypox vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed at least 92 monkeypox virus cases in 12 countries, warning that the infection is likely to spread to more countries even as surveillance is expanded.

The 12 countries — the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Sweden — are not endemic for monkeypox virus, which means the virus is not commonly found, as it is in some Central and West African countries.

While no deaths have been reported thus far, approximately 28 cases in these countries are potential cases. The global health organization said that investigations are underway to confirm them.

“As of May 21, 92 laboratory confirmed cases, and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox with investigations ongoing, have been reported to WHO from 12 Member States that are not endemic for monkeypox virus, across three WHO regions,” the WHO said in a statement.

“No associated deaths have been reported to date. The situation is evolving and WHO expects there will be more cases of monkeypox identified as surveillance expands in non-endemic countries,” the agency said.

According to the WHO, the identification of confirmed and suspected monkeypox cases with no direct travel links to an endemic area “represents a highly unusual event.”

Surveillance in non-endemic areas has been limited to date, but is now expanding, and the WHO expects more cases to be reported in non-endemic areas.”

According to available data, human-to-human transmission occurs among people who have close physical contact with symptomatic cases.

But the “cases have mainly but not exclusively been identified amongst men who have sex with men (MSM)”.

To curb the spread, it stressed on the need for “immediate actions focuses on informing those who may be most at risk for monkeypox infection with accurate information”.

According to the UN health body, the most vulnerable people are those who have had close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox while they are symptomatic.

This is in relation to cases associated with gay and bisexual men in the United Kingdom and Spain, prompting health authorities to urge gay and bisexual men to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service as soon as possible.

The WHO also stated that it is working to provide guidance to frontline health care providers and other health workers who may be at risk, such as cleaners.

Furthermore, the West African strain has been identified in all cases whose samples have been confirmed by PCR.

The genome sequence of a swab sample from a confirmed case in Portugal revealed a close match between the monkeypox virus causing the current outbreak and cases exported from Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Israel, and Singapore in 2018 and 2019.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to smallpox patients in the past, though it is clinically less severe.

About the author

Brendan Taylor

Brendan Taylor was a TV news producer for 5 and a half years. He is an experienced writer. Brendan covers Breaking News at Insider Paper.







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