Many of the cases are not linked to travel to the continent. Since then, more than 100 cases have been confirmed outside Africa, according to a tracker by a University of Oxford academic. The first European case was confirmed on May 7 in an individual who returned to England from Nigeria. Nigeria has had a large outbreak since 2017 - so far this year there have been 46 suspected cases, of which 15 have since been confirmed, according to the WHO. Since 1970, monkeypox cases have been reported in 11 African countries. There isn't a specific vaccine for monkeypox, but data shows that the vaccines used to eradicate smallpox are up to 85% effective against monkeypox, according to the WHO.īritish authorities said on Thursday they had offered a smallpox vaccine to some healthcare workers and others who may have been exposed to monkeypox. Still, the WHO's European chief said he was concerned that infections could accelerate in the region as people gather for parties and festivals over the summer months. The cases can be well isolated via contact tracing and there are also drugs and effective vaccines that can be used if necessary," he said. "However, it is very unlikely that this epidemic will last long.
It would not be responsible for deciding whether the outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern, WHO's highest form of alert, which is currently applied to the COVID-19 pandemic.įabian Leendertz, from the Robert Koch Institute, described the outbreak as an epidemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) committee due to meet is the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential (STAG-IH), which advises on infection risks that could pose a threat to global health. "With several confirmed cases in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal, this is the largest and most widespread outbreak of monkeypox ever seen in Europe," said Germany's armed forces' medical service, which detected its first case in the country on Friday. Monkeypox is usually a mild viral illness, characterised by symptoms of fever as well as a distinctive bumpy rash. However, scientists do not expect the outbreak to evolve into a pandemic like COVID-19, given the virus does not spread as easily as SARS-COV-2.
#Gay definition in urdu series
In what Germany described as the largest outbreak in Europe ever, cases have been reported in at least eight European countries – Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom - as well as the United States, Canada and Australia.įirst identified in monkeys, the disease typically spreads through close contact and has rarely spread outside Africa, so this series of cases has triggered concern. The World Health Organization was due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the recent outbreak of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, after more than 100 cases were confirmed or suspected in Europe.