WHO talks monkeypox: unlikely to cause a pandemic, some countries have begun to provide vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on May 30 that they believe the recent outbreak of monkeypox outside Africa can still be contained and will not lead to a pandemic.

When asked if the monkeypox outbreak could turn into a pandemic, Rosamund Lewis, WHO's chief monkeypox expert and head of the emergency programme's smallpox team secretariat, replied: "We don't know. But we don't think so." "At this moment, we are not worried about a global pandemic."

Scientists are studying the reasons for the unusual increase in cases, multiple public health agencies suspect some degree of community transmission, and some countries have begun offering vaccines to close contacts of confirmed cases, the report said.

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Lewis also said that once a patient becomes infected with monkeypox, the period from the onset of the rash until the scab falls off is considered the infection period, but it is unclear whether infected people who are asymptomatic can transmit the disease because of limited information.

England

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on the 30th that there were 71 more confirmed cases in England, raising the total to 179 people infected.

Authorities updated guidelines on the response to the monkeypox virus on the same day, urging people to avoid sexual activity after showing symptoms and to use condoms for eight weeks after infection.

Brazil

The Ministry of Health said on the 30th that it was investigating two suspected cases of monkeypox, one in the southern state of Santa Catarina and the other in the northeastern state of Ceará.

There is also a suspected case of monkeypox in Rio Grande do Sul state, but local health officials do not believe the case is monkeypox, the health ministry said.

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