According to the World Health Organization, 257 monkeypox confirmed cases had been reported, and 120 patients in 23 countries where the virus has not been endemic yet have active cases. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention of the US Nation has confirmed 12 cases in eight country states.
According to the WHO, there have been 1,365 monkeypox cases in five African countries. There were also 69 deaths. These illnesses were reported at various times, from mid-December to the end of May. In a recent update, the World Health Organization said it received reports of 257 confirmed cases of monkeypox in 23 countries.
“Since 2017, the few deaths from monkeypox among West Africans have been linked to young age or untreated HIV diseases,” Sunday’s stated by the WHO said.
The agency stated a moderate global public health threat, considering this is the first case of monkeypox and clusters being reported simultaneously in geographically dissimilar WHO areas. There are no known epidemiological links to countries in West and Central Africa.
In recent news, WHO said that the public health risk could arise if the virus seizes on human pathogen status and spreads to immunosuppressed and young children.
The agency encourages health care providers to pay attention to possible symptoms such as fever, back pain, swollen gland nodes, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, and rash. They also request that anyone experiencing these symptoms gets tested.
However, since most cases of this outbreak have been recorded by men who had sex with the same gender, every possible effort was made to avoid stigmatizing these people and communities.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease similar to smallpox. However, the WHO says it is clinically less dangerous. The disease leads to a rash that can happen to anyone all over the body. The illness generally lasts for two to four days.
Although monkeypox can’t transmit to sexual partners, it may spread through intimate contact if an individual has the rash.
Scientists are sequencing the DNA of virus samples taken from patients during this outbreak to find out its origins. The WHO says preliminary data indicate that the genomes are part of the West African-clade monkeypox virus.
