WHO confirms 780 cases of monkeypox in 27 non-endemic countries

MADRID, 5 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 780 cases of monkeypox or monkeypox in 27 countries around the world where this disease is not endemic, in its latest report on the health crisis declared in the middle of last month.

"From May 13 to June 2, 2022, 780 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox were reported to the WHO or identified by the agency," the organization explains.

The situation in the countries where the disease is installed -- Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone -- has been recorded since January 1, 1,408 suspected cases, of which 44 confirmed, and 66 deaths, the vast majority (58) in the DRC.

The WHO understands the situation as a "moderate" risk since it is the first time that many cases and clusters of monkeypox have been reported simultaneously in non-endemic and endemic countries in widely disparate geographic areas."

The UN agency highlights that, so far, there have been no associated deaths within the current monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries, however, cases and deaths continue to be reported in countries where it is.

The WHO indicates that the non-endemic countries with the most cases are the United Kingdom with 207, followed by Spain (156) and Portugal (138).

Monkeypox is a rare zoonotic disease, that is, it is transmissible between animals and humans, with symptoms such as fever, headache and muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, as well as rashes on the hands and face, similar to those produced by traditional smallpox, although less serious.

According to the WHO, the mortality rate has varied in the different epidemics, but has been less than 10 percent in documented events.