Monkeypox: WHO does not consider it necessary to cancel major events

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According to the WHO, concerts and other events with crowds (here a recording of the Couleur Cafe Music Festival in Brussels) do not have to be canceled because of monkeypox

Photo: IMAGO/HATIM KAGHAT / IMAGO/Belga

The World Health Organization (WHO) sees no need to cancel or postpone mass events this summer because of the unusually large spread of monkeypox.

This was emphasized by WHO experts on Friday in Geneva.

"Mass events as such do not increase the risk of transmission, it is the behavior at these events," it said.

The organizers should provide intensive information about the risk of infection.

"We need to raise awareness," said WHO's Meg Doherty.

In Europe alone, around 800 major festivals will attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Transmission by touching infected sites

Close contact, such as having sex or touching infected areas, is still considered a way of transmitting the virus.

Most cases have occurred in men who have had sex with men before.

A stigmatization of this group is not appropriate.

"Stigma never helps," Doherty said.

By far the most cases of monkeypox are recorded in Europe.

According to a WHO spokesman, the WHO emergency committee on monkeypox wanted to announce by Saturday morning whether it would recommend declaring an "emergency of international concern".

WHO generally follows the advice of professionals.

Such a move serves to wake up all countries to be on the lookout for cases and take their own precautions to contain the spread.

Around 5,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in humans worldwide this year.

In more than 40 countries outside of Africa, where the disease was virtually unknown until May, there were more than 3,300 cases, according to the latest data from the US health authority CDC.

ktz/dpa