“It means making safe choices for yourself and others,” he continued.
LONDON (ANTARA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded more than 18,000 reported cases of monkeypox globally from 78 countries, with the majority in Europe.
So far, 98 percent of cases outside African countries where the virus is endemic have been reported in men who have sex with men, the WHO said Wednesday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged groups of same-sex men to consider reducing the number of their sexual partners and minimizing contact with new partners.
“This is an outbreak that can be stopped … the best way to do that is to reduce the risk of exposure,” Tedros told a news conference from Geneva.
“It means making safe choices for yourself and others,” he continued.
WHO has declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency.
The UN agency recommends vaccination for high-risk groups, including men who have sex with men with multiple sexual partners and health workers.
The WHO warns that it can take several weeks after getting a second dose of vaccine to be fully protected, so one should take other precautions until then.
About 10 percent of patients have been hospitalized during the current outbreak and five have died, all in Africa.
Monkeypox has been a serious public health problem in parts of Africa for decades, but cases began to be reported outside endemic countries in May.
The disease usually causes mild to moderate symptoms, including fever, fatigue, and painful skin lesions that will heal within a few weeks.
Tedros says there are about 16 million doses of the approved vaccine available, but only in large quantities, so it will take several months to get them into the bottle.
WHO is urging countries with stocks to share vaccines while supplies are limited.
Sumber: Reuters
Reporter: Yashinta Difa Pramudyani
Editor: Agus Setiawan
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