The World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday, Sunday that monkeypox continues to pose a "moderate risk" overall to public health globally, following the recording of cases of infection in countries where the disease was previously undetectable.
"The risk to public health may become greater if this virus takes advantage of the opportunity and establishes itself as a human pathogen, transmitting to groups at higher risk of becoming severely ill, such as young children, but also people who are immunosuppressed." WHO announced.
As of 26 May, a total of 257 confirmed cases of infection and 120 suspected cases had been recorded in 23 WHO member countries in which the virus is not endemic, WHO said in a statement. No deaths have been reported so far.
According to the WHO, the sudden appearance of monkeypox in several countries in which it was not endemic[/B] suggests that there has been transmission that has gone undetected for some time and recent events that have intensified transmission.
The WHO added that it expects more cases to be recorded as surveillance expands. Monkeypox is a contagious disease, which is usually mild, and is endemic in parts of West and Central Africa. The disease is transmitted after close contact and can be relatively easily treated, by implementing measures such as self-isolation and hygiene measures.
Most cases reported so far, have been identified in the UK, Spain and Portugal. "The majority of cases of infection reported so far have not had an established transmission link through travel to an endemic area and have been traced through primaryhealth care or sexual health-related services," according to the WHO.
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