Monkeypox has caused new concerns about a new health disaster, with around 100 confirmed cases in over 12 countries, even as the globe continues to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The situation is changing, and WHO expects more cases of monkeypox to be found as surveillance in non-endemic countries expands.
Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America have all documented cases.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned that when monkeypox spreads to regions where it is not generally found, there would be more cases. They also stated that they will provide additional guidance and recommendations.
Epidemiological investigations are ongoing, although no known travel ties to endemic areas have been discovered so far. Men who have sex with men (MSM) seeking care in primary care and sexual health clinics have been recognised in the majority of cases, but not exclusively, based on currently available information.
According to a study, one of the causes for the resurgence of the monkeypox virus is fading protection after the smallpox vaccine. More than 40-50 years have passed since mass immunisation began worldwide.
“The presently available data shows that people who have had close personal contact with someone who has monkeypox while they are symptomatic are at the greatest risk,” WHO said in a statement released on May 21.
The discovery of confirmed and probable monkeypox cases without direct travel linkages to an endemic location is a “very uncommon event,” according to WHO. While the first European case of monkeypox was confirmed on May 7 in a person returning to England from Nigeria, the UN announced that 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox have been recorded from 12 non-endemic members states.
Symptoms of Monkeypox
Monkeypox has bumps, rashes, fever, and enlarged lymph nodes, but it is less contagious and produces less severe sickness, according to the World Health Organization.
India has yet to report any similar cases.
