WHO Director-General Dr Tentros Antanom Gebregesos said the risk of the disease becoming endemic in these countries was real but preventable.
More than 1,000 cases of smallpox in monkeys have been reported by the World Health Organization worldwide following the recent outbreak of the disease in countries outside Africa.
The Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Tentros Antanom Gebregesous said that the risk of becoming endemic the disease in these countries it is real but preventable.
So far, 29 countries have reported cases since the first patients were registered in early May.
Tentros also said that more than 1,400 suspected cases of aphids have been reported in Africa this year and 66 deaths. “It is an unfortunate reflection of the world in which we live, the fact that the international community is just now beginning to pay attention to the smallpox of monkeys, because it has appeared in rich countries,” he said.
Most cases involve men who have had sex with other men, however there are cases between women. WHO advises patients to isolate themselves at home. It also works with other organizations, such as UN AIDS, to raise awareness and stop transmission of the disease.
In some countries it may be advisable to vaccinate those exposed to the virus – such as healthcare workers or patients’s sexual partners – ideally within four days of exposure.
The vaccines used are designed for smallpox, a much more dangerous disease that was eradicated in 1980, but studies show that they also protect against monkeypox.
