An expert with the World Health Organization said that the spread of the monkey pox will likely be contained in countries outside of Africa and warned that the threat was being exaggerated.
Health experts across the world are monitoring cases with flu-like symptoms that may come as a result of the monkey pox infection, which is similar to smallpox but less severe.
Sylvie Briand, the WHO director for Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness, told the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, that she had been monitoring the monkey pox for years without viral spread.
“It’s also very important for this, again, limited outbreak to have excellent global coordination and collaboration. We need to share information, share diagnostic resources [and] share data,” Briand said.
“We encourage you all to increase the surveillance of monkeypox to see where transmission levels are and understand where it is going,” Briand added.
She went on to say that the disease could be contained with pragmatic measures like detecting cases early and isolating the infected.
“Let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill,” she said.
Although some cases have been detected in the United States, the majority of the cases worldwide were reported in Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
WHO infectious diseases expert David Heymann said previously that the source of the sudden outbreak of monkey pox might have originated from sexual transmission at two European raves. They noted that many, but not all, of the cases involved men who had sex with other men.
“The extent of local transmission is unclear at this stage, as surveillance has been limited,” said the WHO in a Saturday statement. “There is a high likelihood of identification of further cases with unidentified chains of transmission, including in other population groups.”
The WHO has confirmed only two cases of monkey pox in the United States. A previous outbreak in 2003 led to 47 people being infected and was likely due to imported animals.
Here’s more about the monkey pox threat:
Fears of monkeypox outbreak grow as cases rise l GMA
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