The risk is "
real
" that the monkeypox virus will spread to non-endemic countries, with 1,000 cases already reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
Read also“
Monkey pox will not be the next Covid
”
"
The risk of monkeypox taking hold in non-endemic countries is real, but this scenario can be avoided
," said the organization's director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a press conference.
He therefore encouraged countries to increase their health surveillance measures to “
identify all cases and contact cases to control this outbreak and prevent contagion
”.
“
More than 1000 confirmed cases of monkeypox have now been reported to WHO in 29 countries where the disease is not endemic
,” the Director-General further indicated.
According to the WHO, no deaths have been reported in these countries, unlike endemic countries, which include Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“
WHO is particularly concerned about the risks this virus poses to vulnerable groups, including children and pregnant women
,” Dr. Tedros explained.
He also stressed that communities living in countries where monkeypox is endemic "
deserve to receive the same attention, the same care and the same access to the tools to protect themselves
" from the disease, which is spread by contact. close.
The WHO has repeatedly pointed out that the "
sudden and unexpected appearance
" of virus in non-endemic countries suggests that it has been circulating for some time already, but that its transmission has gone undetected.
However, the organization does not know for how long.
The vast majority of reported cases so far concern “
men who have sex with men
” but a few cases of community transmission, including among women, have been reported.
Sylvie Briand, director of the department of pandemic and epidemic diseases at the WHO, pointed out that "
the smallpox vaccine can be used for monkeypox with a high level of efficacy
".
Read alsoMonkey pox: 51 confirmed cases in France
However, the WHO does not know how many doses are currently available worldwide, and Dr Tedros reiterated that the organization “
does not recommend mass vaccination against monkeypox
”.
Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980. "
In the few places where vaccines are available, they are used to protect people who may be exposed, such as health care workers and laboratory personnel
," he said. it belongs.
Ms Briand explained that the WHO is now trying to find out how many doses of vaccines are available in the world and what types of vaccines they are.
“
We are also contacting (vaccine) manufacturers to find out their production capacities
and distribution around the world, she added.
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