WHO warns of further transmission of monkeypox over summer
Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Jun, 2022 05:05 PM
Copenhagen, June 1 (IANS) The WHO has said that it aimed to contain the monkeypox outbreak by stopping human transmission to the maximum extent possible, warning that the potential for further transmission in Europe and elsewhere this summer is high.
In a statement, the WHO on Tuesday added that its European Region "remained at the epicenter of the largest and most geographically widespread monkeypox outbreak ever reported outside of endemic areas in western and central Africa".
Responding to the rise in cases of monkeypox throughout Europe over the past two weeks, WHO's Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge outlined the steps required to "rapidly investigate and control this fast-evolving situation".
The WHO European office is concerned that the recent lifting of pandemic restrictions on international travel and events could act as a catalyst for rapid transmission, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Monkeypox has already spread against the backdrop of several mass gatherings in the region. Over the coming months, many of the dozens of festivals and large parties planned provide further contexts where amplification may occur," Kluge said in the statement.
"The potential for further transmission in Europe and elsewhere over the summer is high."
He urged the strengthening of "cross-country collaboration and information-sharing mechanisms, heightened surveillance, and community communication" to prevent misinformation from being "amplified online and through other sources, leading to negative public health outcomes".
"Our goal is to contain this outbreak by stopping human-to-human transmission to the maximum extent possible," the WHO Regional Director added, calling on efforts to increase awareness of monkeypox and share information on how people can reduce their risk of exposure.
The extensive measures used to combat Covid-19 are not required to tackle monkeypox in Europe, he said, "because the virus does not spread in the same way."
On Tuesday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the country has recorded 190 confirmed monkeypox cases since May 7.
According to UKHSA, the risk to the UK population remains low, but the agency "is asking people to be alert to any new rashes or lesions, which would appear like spots, ulcers or blisters, on any part of their body".
The flight ticket prices have risen from Rs 50,000 to over Rs 70,000 and the students say it is this financial hurdle that is forcing them to stay put despite the advisory by the Indian government. On normal days, the flight tickets would cost Rs 21,000-Rs 26,000. But now, due to the Russia-Ukraine tensions, the rates have jacked up.
Former Amazon employee Rohit Kadimisetty has been sentenced to 10 months in prison with a fine of $50,000 for a fraud and bribery scheme targeting the e-commerce giant's online Marketplace. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a statement that Kadimisetty, 28, of Northridge, California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in September 2021.
Massachusetts and New York are the latest Democrat-led states to ease mask mandates, despite evidence that the surge in the Omicron variant is not yet over.
Judge Nancy E. Brasel handed down the sentence to Neeraj Chopra, 41, in a federal court in Minneapolis, acting prosecutor Charles J. Kovats said on Friday. He was found guilty in July of the incident in April 2019 but sentenced only this month.
Satpreet Singh, Director of Ranjit Nagara Foundation, revealed that as per US rules, their foundation has to provide documentation of their expenditure to Internal Revenue Service, Department of Justice, annually which is further updated on the department's site for public or on before May 15, but the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) office has not provided the requisite documents till date.
Amid heightened activities by Khalistanis, the UK Sikh community has started to push back against anti-India forces. At the heart of this push back is Southall in London, which remains among the largest hubs of the Sikh community in the UK and has a distinction of hosting UK's largest and most prominent gurdwaras.
