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Deadly Collision Claims 67 Lives in U.S. Air Disaster | At Least 30 Dead and Many Injured in Stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela in India | Authorities Seize 123,000 Illegal Eggs in Crackdown on Smuggling from Vietnam | Inauguration of Nearly $100 Million Wastewater Treatment System Development Project in Takhmao City | Cambodia to Host 2025 National Chapei Dang Veng Festival from June 11-13 | Senate President Hun Sen Reflects on Cambodia’s Development and ASEAN Integration | ASEAN Secretary-General Hails Samdech Techo Hun Sen's Vision at Policy Speech |

WHO Says More Than 18,000 Cases Of Monkeypox Globally, Most In Europe

  • Posted Jul 28, 2022 14:13 by Anthony Ellis
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INTERNATIONAL: There have been more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox reported globally from 78 countries, with the majority in Europe, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday 27th July.

The WHO declared the outbreak a global health emergency on Saturday 23rd July.

So far, 98% of cases outside the countries in Africa where the virus is endemic have been reported in men who have sex with men, the WHO said.

Its Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged that group to consider reducing numbers of sexual partners and swapping contact details with any new partners.

"This is an outbreak that can be stopped... the best way to do that is to reduce the risk of exposure," Tedros told a news conference from Geneva. "That means making safe choices for yourself and others."

The U.N. agency is recommending vaccination for high-risk groups, including men who have sex with men with multiple sexual partners and healthcare workers.

It cautioned that it takes several weeks after getting the second dose of vaccine to be fully protected, so people should take other precautions until that point.

Around 10% of patients have been hospitalized in the current outbreak and five have died, all of them in Africa, the WHO said.

Monkeypox has been a globally neglected public health problem in parts of Africa for decades, but cases began to be reported outside countries where it is endemic in May.

It generally causes mild to moderate symptoms, including fever, fatigue and painful skin lesions that resolve within a few weeks.

Tedros said there were about 16 million doses of approved vaccine available, but only in bulk, so it would take several months to get them into vials.

The WHO is urging countries with stockpiles to share vaccine while supply is constrained, he added.


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