The World Health Organization has removed the distinction between endemic and non-endemic countries in its monkeypox statistics. She wants to better “unify” the response to the virus.
We remove the distinction between endemic and non-endemic countries, and present countries together when possible, to reflect the unified response that is needed.
L’OMS
Usually circulating in Central and West Africa, the virus is now present on several continents.
“We are removing the distinction between endemic and non-endemic countries, and presenting countries together when possible, to reflect the unified response that is needed,” said l’OMSin its June 17 newsletter sent to the media on Saturday.
From January 1 to June 15, “a total of 2103 confirmed cases, one probable case and one death (Nigeria Editor’s note) have been reported to WHO in 42 countries,” she said.
On June 23, it will assess whether the current outbreak represents a “public health emergency of international concern”, its highest level of alert.
Europe at the center
The European region is at the center of the spread of the virus, with 1,773 confirmed cases, or 84% of the global total. Next comes the American continent (245 cases, 12%), followed by Africa (64 cases, 3%) and the regions of the Eastern Mediterranean (14 cases) and the Western Pacific (7 cases).
In the current outbreak, the majority of reported cases so far are in men who have sex with men. The vast majority, however, had not traveled to African countries where the virus was endemic.
But in the current outbreak, human-to-human transmission is at the forefront.
Read also: Monkey pox: “It is impossible to eradicate a zoonosis”, the explanations of a Swiss virologist
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