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The World Health Organization says that the “long-term transmission” of monkeypox worldwide could lead to the virus starting to move into high-risk groups, such as pregnant women, immunocompromised people and children.
The WHO announced on Wednesday that it was investigating reports of infected children, including two cases in the UK, as well as subsequent reports in Spain and France. None of the cases in children were severe.
The virus has already been identified in more than 50 new countries outside Africa, where it is endemic. Cases are also on the rise in those countries, the WHO said, calling for tests to be stepped up.
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“I am concerned about the long-term transmission because it would suggest that the virus is being established and could spread to high-risk groups, including children, immunocompromised and pregnant women,” WHO chief Adros Gebreyesus told an online briefing in Geneva. on Wednesday.
The logo is displayed at the World Health Organization building in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 2, 2020 (Reuters / Denis Balibouz)
Since the beginning of the epidemic in May, there have been more than 3,400 cases of monkeypox and one death, mostly in Europe among men who have sex with men, according to the WHO. There are also more than 1,500 cases and 66 deaths in countries this year where it is common.
Last week, the WHO ruled that the outbreak was not yet a public health emergency, the highest level of concern. However, Tedros said the WHO is closely monitoring the outbreak and will reconvene the commission “as far as possible” to assess whether this is still the case. [L1N2YE0YM]
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The UN agency said it was also working on a mechanism for a fairer distribution of vaccines after countries, including Britain and the United States, offered to share their stored smallpox vaccines, which also protect against monkeypox.
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