The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday said the monkeypox virus has now been confirmed in 23 countries, reported Reuters. The health agency has reported a cumulative total of 257 laboratory-confirmed cases and around 120 suspected cases.
In a statement, the WHO said the ongoing monkeypox outbreak currently poses a moderate risk to global public health. Europe and North America have reported most of the monkeypox cases so far.
“Currently, the overall public health risk at [a] global level is assessed as moderate considering this is the first time that monkeypox cases and clusters are reported concurrently in widely disparate WHO geographical areas,” the global health agency said in a statement.
The UN health body warned that public health risks could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself as a human pathogen and spreads to groups at higher risk of severe diseases such as young children and immunosuppressed persons.
It noted that since smallpox vaccination ceased more than 40 years ago, an ever-growing portion of the global population is vulnerable to the monkeypox virus.
The WHO said the risk at present to individuals in the general public appears to be low, but it may not stay that way. It called for immediate action from countries to control further spread among groups at risk. The health agency said fast and necessary action should be taken to prevent its spread to the general population and avert the establishment of monkeypox as a clinical condition and public health problem in currently non-endemic countries.
Monkeypox is considered endemic in nature in roughly 12 countries in West and Central Africa including Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria.
In related news, on Sunday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Nigeria has confirmed 21 cases of monkeypox since the start of the year with one death reported.
