Monkey pox: more than 3,400 confirmed cases worldwide (WHO)

More than 3,400 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported by some 50 countries, announced the World Health Organization (WHO), noting that the global risk still remained moderate.

“From January 1 to June 22, 2022, 3413 laboratory-confirmed cases and one death have been reported to WHO from 50 countries/territories in five WHO regions,” the global health agency said. the UN in its latest situation report on the disease, released on Tuesday.

Since the publication of the previous outbreak information bulletin on June 17, 1,310 new cases have been reported and eight new countries have reported cases.

The majority of laboratory-confirmed cases (2933/3413; 86%) were reported from the WHO European Region. This is followed by the African Region (73/3413, 2%), the Region of the Americas (381/3413, 11%), the Eastern Mediterranean Region (15/3413, <1%) and the Western Pacific Region (11/ 3413, <1%). One death was reported in Nigeria during the second quarter of 2022.

The WHO had estimated on Saturday that the global outbreak of monkeypox was a health threat whose evolution was very worrying, without currently reaching the stage of a global health emergency.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had convened a meeting of experts on the issue last Thursday to discuss whether the WHO should raise its highest level of alert over the outbreak, which primarily affects the country. Western Europe.

In general, “the overall risk is assessed as moderate at the global level”, even if “this is the first time that cases and clusters have been reported simultaneously in five WHO regions”, notes the agency. UN.

Regionally, the risk is considered “high” in the European Region due to its reporting of a geographically widespread outbreak involving several newly affected countries, as well as a somewhat atypical clinical presentation of cases.

In the other WHO regions, the risk is considered moderate given the epidemiological patterns, the possible risk of importation of cases and the capacities for case detection and outbreak response.

“In the newly affected countries, this is the first time that cases have been confirmed mainly, but not exclusively, in men who have had recent sexual contact with a new partner or multiple partners”, detailed the WHO.