Monkeypox Infection Grows to 14,000 Cases and Kills Five People: WHO

Monkeypox cases and infections have continued to spread worldwide, affecting several dozens of countries.

With Europe being the hardest hit in terms of number of cases, Western health authorities scramble to acquire the available yet limited monkeypox vaccines.

While the infectious disease is relatively less transmissible compared to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, officials continue to monitor the new outbreak.

Monkeypox Global Outbreak

The monkeypox global outbreak has already increased to almost 14,000 cases, including five deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as cited by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) under the University of Minnesota.

Although Europe is currently the hotspot of the outbreak, the said fatalities have been reported in countries from Africa, and there are six countries that reported their first monkeypox cases this week.

Tedros stated that the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee will reconvene to assess the latest data available.

This will aim to determine whether the outbreak is to be considered a public health emergency under international concern.

Still, the WHO head assured they will do everything to support countries in stopping the transmission of the virus and save lives, as cited by CIDRAP.

Furthermore, while the global supply of diagnostics and vaccines are limited at this time, the WHO will reportedly ensure that vaccines reach low-income countries.

UK and US Monkeypox Cases

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an update on Tuesday, July 19, that monkeypox cases across the UK have reached 2,137 cases; 2,050 of these are in England.

This comes after the UK government recorded 281 new confirmed cases.

The UKHSA stated that it has ordered an additional 100,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine under Bavarian Nordic. The UK's National Health System previously procured 30,000 vaccines.

UKHA head of immunization, Gayatri Amirthalingam, noted that most monkeypox cases under the current outbreak are mild, while severe illness can still occur in some people, and emphasized the importance the vaccines reaching the groups where the transmission is transpiring.

Monkeypox Symptoms

The WHO defines monkeypox as an illness caused by the monkeypox virus and is a viral zoonotic infection.

This means that it has and can still spread from animals to humans.

Reports suggested that the virus can spread from person to person, especially with cases on the rise involving males who also had sexual relations with the same gender.

In its updated assessment, the organization provides the following most common monkeypox symptoms:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Back pain
• Low energy
• Swollen lymph nodes

The development of a rash can last for two to three weeks and they can appear on the face, palms, feet, eyes, mouth, throat, groin, anal, and genital parts of the body.

In addition, the WHO adds lesions to be another monkeypox symptom. They reportedly start as a flat-shaped scar filled with liquid before they pop up, dry up, and fall off on their own.