WHO Reveals How Monkeypox Can Be Stopped Outside Endemic Countries
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The World Health Organization said Monkeypox can be controlled outside Endemic countries.
The UN health agency also said that human-to-human transmission of viruses can be stopped.
So far, the WHO had recorded at least 200 confirmed and suspected cases. Team lead, Maria Van Kerkhove said there is a containable.
Her words:
“This is a containable situation, particularly in the countries where we are seeing these outbreaks that are happening across Europe, in North America as well,” Van Kerkhove told a live interaction on the UN health agency’s social media channels.
“We want to stop human-to-human transmission. We can do this in non-endemic countries.
“We’re in a situation where we can use public health tools of early identification, supported isolation of cases.
“We can stop human-to-human transmission.”
She added that transmission of the disease is through: “close physical contact: skin-to-skin contact”. Also, most of the people identified so far had not had a severe case of the disease.
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Head of Smallpox secretariats on WHO emergencies programme, Rosamund Lewis said monkeypox had been known for four decades.
Lewis explained that these cases had appeared in Europe in the last five years.
However, “this is the first time we’re seeing cases across many countries at the same time and people who have not travelled to the endemic regions in Africa”, she said.
She cited four endemic countries in West and Central Africa. They are:
- Nigeria.
- Cameroon.
- The central African Republic.
- The Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lewis described endemic regions as:
“The animal kingdom in forested areas. Now we’re seeing it more in urban areas.”
– Mutation studies –
According to Lewis, no research has confirmed if the virus had mutated but in the wider orthodox virus group “tend not to mutate and they tend to be fairly stable.
“We don’t yet have evidence yet that there is a mutation in the virus itself.”
She added that the first genomic sequences of the virus will be studied by virologists.
The strategies advisor at the WHO’s global HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections programmes, Andy Seale commented on its potential as an STD.
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Seale said that although the virus can be caught
t through sexual activity, it is not a sexually transmitted disease.
Seal said “While we are seeing some cases amongst men who have sex with men, this is not a gay disease, as some people in social media have attempted to label it. That’s just not the case.
“This demographic is generally a demographic that really does take care of health screening… They’ve been proactive about responding to unusual symptoms.
“Anybody can contract monkeypox through close contact.”
Source: PUNCH HealthWise