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".
Imran Khan's remarks came days after Trump reiterated that the USD 1.3 billion in aid to Pakistan will remain suspended until the country acts against militant safe heavens inside its territory.
Sikh pilgrims from all over the world on Monday poured into the Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Pakistan's Punjab province to celebrate the 549th birth anniversary of Sikhim's founder, Guru Nanak Dev.
The Lion Air flight, with 188 passengers and crew on board, crashed into the sea off Indonesia's island of Java, minutes after taking off from Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport.
A major US-Mexico border crossing in San Diego was closed for hours after a group of migrants on the Mexican side rushed the border area, leading American Border Patrol agents to fire tear gas at the group.
The court was told that during a bumpy landing, the 41-year-old had started screaming "we are all going to die", causing further distress to passengers.
