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".
Jeetendra Harish Belani, 37, of Nagpur made the admission in the Pittsburgh federal court before Chief Federal District Judge Mark Hornak on Monday, federal prosecutor Scott Brady said.
A 20-year old Indian man was charged with violating US immigration law after he tried to enter the country by presenting a counterfeit Slovenian passport as his own to federal border authorities at the airport here.
Child actor and ballet dancer Jack Burns, who starred in several TV shows including "Outlander" and "In Plain Sight", has passed away at the age of 14.
Speaking at the COP25 climate conference in Madrid, the young activist from Manipur who has already spoken in 21 countries on climate change, gave the world a glimpse of her resolve as she urged global leaders to "act now against climate change".
Over five years, between May 2009 and June 2013, the 50-year-old doctor assaulted six patients of the Mawney Medical Centre in east London, including some as young as 11.
