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‘We believe we can stop the monkeypox outbreak’ – Global Issues

But “Time is passing and we all need to band together to make it happen” Dr. Rosamund Lewis warns, WHO Technical team leader above Monkey smallpoxwho is speaking at the regular press conference on Geneva.

A public health emergency

On Saturday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the spread of the virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the organization’s highest alert level. “Through this, We hope to strengthen coordination and cooperation of countries and all stakeholders, as well as global solidarity.‘ said Dr. Lewis.

WHO assesses the public health risk of monkeypox in the European region as high, but at the global level as moderate.

With “other regions unaffected at this time”, a PHEIC declaration was necessary “to ensure the outbreak is contained as soon as possible”.

This year, there have been more than 16,000 confirmed cases monkey smallpox in more than 75 countries. Dr Lewis said the real number was probably higher.

She pointed out that In the Democratic Republic of Congo, several thousand cases are suspected, but testing facilities are limited. “The global panel does not include suspected cases,” she said.

Around 81 children under the age of 17 have been infected globally, she added, with the majority of cases being young men, with an average age of 37.

‘Stigma is as dangerous as a virus’

First identified in monkeys, the virus is transmitted primarily through close contact with infected humans (you can read our detailed explainer of the diseasehere).

Until this year, the virus that causes monkeypox has rarely spread outside of Africa, where it is endemic. But reports of a small number of cases in the UK in early May signaled that the outbreak had spread to Europe.

Dr. Lewis points out that stigma and discrimination must be avoided, as that would harm the response to the disease.

“Currently, the outbreak is still concentrated in groups of men who have sex with men in some countries, but that’s not the case everywhere“It’s also really important to appreciate that stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous and dangerous as any virus,” she said.

Monkeypox can cause a variety of signs and symptoms, including painful sores. Some people develop severe symptoms that require medical care. Those at higher risk for severe illness or complications include pregnant women, children, and people who are immunocompromised.

Vaccine combination

Dr Lewis said WHO is working with Member States and the European Union on vaccine release, and with partners to define a global coordination mechanism. She emphasized that mass vaccination is not required, but WHO has recommended post-exposure vaccination.

Vaccine sharing should be done according to public health needs, by country and location by location.. Not all regions have the same epidemiology, she explains.

Dr. Lewis emphasized that countries with the manufacturing capacity to diagnose smallpox and monkeypox, vaccines or treatments should ramp up production.

Countries and manufacturers should work with WHO to ensure they are delivered based on public health needs, solidarity and at a reasonable cost to the countries where they need it most.

Dr. Lewis explains that some 16.4 million vaccines are available in large quantities but need to be perfected. The countries currently producing the vaccine are Denmark, Japan and the United States.

She reminded that the current recommendation for people with monkeypox is to isolate and not travel until they have recovered; Contacts must have their temperature checked and monitored for other possible symptoms for a period of 9 to 21 days.

“When someone gets vaccinated It takes several weeks for the body to produce an immune response“, she speaks.

What’s in a name?

According to Dr. Lewis, the name “Smallpox” is already on the International Classification of Diseases and a process must be followed in order to change its name.

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