May 23 (Reuters) – The World Health Organization has no evidence that the monkeypox virus has mutated, the UN chief executive said on Monday, noting that the infectious disease, which is endemic in West and Central Africa, tends not to is changing.
Rosamund Lewis, head of the Smallpox Secretariat, which is part of the WHO Emergency Program, told a briefing that mutations are usually lower in this virus, although genomic sequencing of cases will help understand the current understanding. epidemic.
Health experts are watching for mutations that could make the virus easier to transmit or severe.
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More than 100 suspected and confirmed cases of recent outbreaks in Europe and North America have not been severe, said Maria van Kerkhove, WHO’s leader on emerging diseases and zoonoses and COVID-19 technical director.
“This is a manageable situation, especially in Europe,” she said. “But we can’t take our eyes off what is happening in Africa, in countries where it is endemic.”
The outbreaks are atypical, according to the WHO, in countries where the virus does not circulate regularly. Scientists are trying to understand the origins of the cases and whether anything about the virus has changed. Read more
The WHO calls on dermatology and primary health clinics, as well as sexual health clinics, to be alert to potential cases.
PROACTIVE PATIENTS
The World Health Organization logo is displayed at the entrance to the WHO building, Geneva, Switzerland, December 20, 2021. REUTERS / Denis Balibouse
Many – but not all – of the people diagnosed with the current monkeypox epidemic are men who have sex with men (MSM).
Officials said it was too early to say why, but this demographic could seek medical advice or access sexual health screening.
Monkeypox is not usually easily spread among humans, but can be transmitted through close human-to-human contact or contact with objects used by a person who has monkeypox, such as clothing, bedding, or utensils.
“We know that MSM, if they experience an unusual rash, will probably want to fix it pretty quickly,” said Andy Seal, strategy adviser in the WHO’s Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Division.
“The fact that they were proactive in responding to unusual symptoms may be part of the story. It will become clearer in the coming weeks and days,” Seal said.
Van Kerkhove said he expects more cases to be identified with the expansion of surveillance.
Asked if early findings could fuel discrimination, Seal said: “There are ways we can work with communities to learn from decades of experience in tackling stigma and discrimination with HIV. We want to apply those lessons to that experience.”
U.S. health officials told a news briefing Monday that one case of monkeypox had been confirmed in Massachusetts and had identified four additional suspected cases, one in New York and Florida and two in Utah.
All were men with a history of international travel consistent with the types of exhibits seen elsewhere, they said.
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Report by Josephine Mason in London; Additional reports by Michael Herman in New Jersey; edited by John Stone Street, Ed Osmond and Bill Burcrot
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