WHO reports about 9,200 monkeypox cases from 63 countries
The World Health Organisation has said that about 9,200 cases of monkeypox have been recorded in 63 countries worldwide.
The WHO said the spike in cases of monkeypox has made the need for an emergency meeting by the Emergency Committee for monkeypox necessary to discuss the spread of the virus.
The Director General of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, disclosed this on Wednesday, via tweets posted on the official Twitter handle of the global health agency.
Dr. Ghebreyesus said, “The Emergency Committee for monkeypox will reconvene next week and look at trends, how effective the countermeasures are and make recommendations for what countries and communities should do to tackle the outbreak.
“In the meantime, the multi-pronged approach continues. Firstly, WHO is working closely with civil society and the LGBTIQ+ community, especially to tackle the stigma around the virus and spread information so people can stay safe.
“Secondly, WHO continues to work with countries and vaccine manufacturers to coordinate the sharing of vaccines, which are currently scarce.
“Thirdly, WHO continues to work with countries and experts to drive forward research and development.
“The National Institute for Biomedical Research in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the National Institute of Health and Medical Research and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in collaboration with WHO, convened researchers and experts in trials worldwide to develop consensus on a global CORE protocol for the evaluation of treatments for monkeypox.”
The WHO DG stressed the need for everyone to work hand in hand to stop the continuous transmission of the virus.
Ghebreyesus also advised governments at all levels to implement contact tracing, to help in tracking the spread of the virus as well as assist individuals in isolation.
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