A top World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Friday that the priority must be to contain monkey disease in non-endemic countries and that action can be taken quickly.
Normally a mild viral infection, Monkeypox is endemic in African countries, but its spread to non-endemic countries such as Europe and the United States has raised concerns. So far, there are more than 200 confirmed or suspected cases in about 20 countries where the virus has not circulated before.
“We believe we can easily contain this if we take the right precautions now,” Sylvie Briand, WHO Director of Global Preparedness for Infectious Hazards, said at a technical briefing to Member States at the Organization’s health agency’s annual meeting in the United States. Nations (UN).
He stressed that there is a window of opportunity to prevent further spread, and urged the general population not to worry as transmission is much slower than other viruses such as the coronavirus.
WHO officials said there is currently no need for mass vaccination, but vaccination targeting close contacts of infected individuals is necessary whenever possible.
“Case research, contact tracing, home isolation would be your best bets,” said Rosamund Lewis, head of the WHO smallpox secretariat, part of the WHO Emergencies Programme.
source: Noticias
