Intense monkeypox transmission, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is still occurring in the Americas region, despite the fact that there were more cases internationally last week than there were the week before.
According to the WHO:
The situation has changed from the early stages of the outbreak, when the majority of cases were in Europe with a lower percentage in the Americas.
Less than 40% of recorded cases are currently in Europe, while 60% are in the Americas.
Related: “Researchers Discover Rare form of Liver Cancer in Mice“.
In Europe
Where strong public health measures, behaviour modification, and immunisation are assisting in transmission prevention, there are signs that the outbreak is slowing down.
According to WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the lack of access to vaccines combined with inadequate public health measures in Latin America in particular is fanned the outbreak.
Tedros expressed gratitude to Bavarian Nordic, a vaccine producer, for signing a contract on Wednesday with the WHO Regional Office for the Americas to assist the distribution of its monkeypox vaccine across Latin America and the Caribbean.
He expressed optimism that the development will aid in controlling the outbreak in the area.
As part of efforts to immunise 70% of the world’s population, Tedros urged all governments to step up action to vaccinate all health workers, older people, and others at highest risk. “When we are two and a half years into the pandemic and have all the tools necessary to prevent these deaths,” he said.
All nations, regardless of their level of income, must put more effort into immunising those who are most at risk, ensuring access to life-saving therapeutics, continuing testing and sequencing, and establishing tailored, proportionate policies in order to stop the spread of the disease and save lives. The only way to promote a recovery that is actually sustainable is through this, he said. (CMC)