World Health Organization: Fear of monkey pox spreading with early summer
The agency issued a statement warning against stigmatizing groups due to the disease.
"It may be a barrier on the way to ending the outbreak because people may refrain from seeking treatment, and thus cases will not be diagnosed."
More than 80 have been diagnosed so far worldwide, and there are fears that summer festivals will increase the spread
News agencies
21/05/2022
Saturday, 21 May 2022, 11:08 Updated: 11:56
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In the video: A briefing by doctors from Massachusetts Hospital on the first case of smallpox (Photo: Reuters)
More than 80 cases of monkey pox have been diagnosed in at least 12 countries around the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday (Friday) that another 50 suspected cases are currently being investigated - without specifying the names of the countries where the cases were diagnosed - and warned that more and more cases will be reported in the coming days.
Cases have so far been diagnosed in nine European countries, as well as in the United States, Canada, Australia and Israel.
Monkey pox is especially common in remote areas of Central and West Africa.
The disease is a non-serious viral infection that usually heals within a few weeks.
The virus does not spread easily between people, and the danger to the general public is very low.
There is no vaccine for monkey pox, but a chickenpox injection provides 85% protection because the two viruses are similar.
Health agencies in Europe have confirmed cases in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Sweden.
More on Walla!
The monkey's smallpox arrived in Israel: first patient diagnosed with Ichilov
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WHO tweet
Monkey smallpox virus (Photo: Reuters)
A man suffering from monkey pox in the Congo (Photo: Reuters, CDC / Brian WJ Mahy)
The World Health Organization said the recent outbreaks "are atypical because they have occurred in countries where the virus is not endemic".
It was further reported that the organization "is working with the affected countries and other countries to expand monitoring of the disease to find and support infected people".
The organization warned against stigmatizing groups due to the disease.
"It may be a barrier on the way to ending the outbreak because people may refrain from seeking treatment, and thus cases will not be diagnosed."
The organization's regional director for Europe, Carl Kellogg, warned that "we are entering the summer season with big gatherings, festivals and parties and I am afraid the infection will increase."
He added that all but one of the recent cases have not come from countries where monkey pox is endemic.
World Health Organization (Photo: Reuters, REUTERS / Denis Balibouse)
The first case of chickenpox was discovered last night in Israel, when a man in his 30s was diagnosed with the virus.
The man, who returned from a trip to Western Europe, arrived at the emergency room of the Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv with suspicious virus infections, his condition is mild and he will be hospitalized for evaluation and supervision in an isolation room.
The Ministry of Health is conducting an epidemiological investigation and coordinating with Ichilov Hospital the transfer of a clinical specimen for confirmation of the diagnosis at the Biological Institute.
According to information from authorities in countries where patients have been discovered in recent days, there are many cases among men from the LGBT community, but not only from the community.
Ichilov Hospital (Photo: Reuven Castro)
The first case of the disease was diagnosed in the UK on 7 May.
The patient recently traveled to Nigeria, where he apparently contracted the virus before returning to the UK.
There are 20 approved cases in the UK now.
British authorities said they had purchased reservoirs of chickenpox vaccines and began offering them to people "at high risk for exposure" to monkey pox.
Authorities in Spain have also reported a similar move, according to the newspaper El Pais.
The first case in Australia was discovered in a man who fell ill after being in the UK.
In North America, Massachusetts state authorities have confirmed that a man became infected after traveling to Canada and that he is in good condition and does not pose a risk to the public.
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