A ninth case of monkey pox was confirmed at CHU Saint-Pierre this Saturday, our colleagues at RTBF indicate. The information was confirmed to the Belga agency by virologist Marc Van Ranst.
Endemic in eleven countries in Central and West Africa, monkeypox has suddenly been detected in more than twenty other countries around the world, including the United States, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and a dozen from European countries.
No reason to be alarmed according to the WHO
On Friday, the World Health Organization warned that the cases identified so far could not be “just the tip of the iceberg”. She further pointed out thatshe saw no reason to worry. “It’s not a disease that the general public should be concerned about. It’s not like Covid-19”insisted in particular the director of the department responsible for global preparation for epidemic risks at the WHO, Sylvie Briand.
Monkeypox belongs to the same family as smallpox, which killed millions of people worldwide each year until it was eradicated in 1980. But monkeypox is much less serious, with a death rate of 3 to 6%. Most patients recover after three to four weeks. The initial symptoms are high fever, swollen glands and skin rashes.