The WHO stated that it aimed to contain the monkeypox outbreak by preventing human transmission as much as possible, but warned that the risk of further transmission in Europe and elsewhere this summer is high.
The WHO added in a statement on Tuesday that its European Region “remained at the epicenter of the largest and most geographically widespread monkeypox outbreak ever reported outside of endemic areas in western and central Africa”.
In response to the recent increase in monkeypox cases across Europe, WHO’s Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge outlined the steps needed to “rapidly investigate and control this fast-evolving situation.”
The WHO European office is concerned that the recent lifting of pandemic restrictions on international travel and events may act as a catalyst for rapid transmission.
“Monkeypox has already spread against the backdrop of several mass gatherings in the region. Over the coming months, many of the dozens of festivals and large parties planned provide further contexts where amplification may occur,” Kluge said in the statement.
“The potential for further transmission in Europe and elsewhere over the summer is high.”
He urged the strengthening of “cross-country collaboration and information-sharing mechanisms, heightened surveillance, and community communication” to prevent misinformation from being “amplified online and through other sources, leading to negative public health outcomes”.
“Our goal is to contain this outbreak by stopping human-to-human transmission to the maximum extent possible,” the WHO Regional Director went on to call for increased awareness of monkeypox and the sharing of information on how people can reduce their risk of exposure.
He claims that the extensive measures used to combat Covid-19 are not needed to combat monkeypox in Europe because “the virus does not spread in the same way.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported 190 confirmed monkeypox cases since May 7 on Tuesday.
The risk to the UK population, according to UKHSA, remains low, but the agency “is asking people to be alert to any new rashes or lesions, which would appear like spots, ulcers or blisters, on any part of their body”.
