The WHO issued its highest alert on July 24. (File)
Geneva:
More than 50,000 cases of monkeypox have been recorded in the global outbreak, WHO figures showed on Wednesday, but transmission is slowing in virus hotspots in Europe and the United States.
The World Health Organization dashboard listed 50,496 cases and 16 deaths reported this year to the UN agency, which declared the outbreak a global health emergency in July.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the drop in new infections showed the outbreak could be stopped.
“In America, which accounts for more than half of the reported cases, several countries continue to see rising numbers of infections, although it is encouraging to see an ongoing downward trend in Canada,” he told a news conference.
“Some European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, are also seeing a significant slowdown in the outbreak, showing the effectiveness of public health interventions and community engagement to track infections and prevent transmission.
“These signs confirm what we have consistently said since inception: that with the right actions, this is an outbreak that can be stopped.”
Since early May, an increase in monkeypox infections has been reported outside of African countries where it has long been endemic.
The WHO issued its highest alert on July 24, classifying it alongside Covid-19 as a public health emergency of international concern.
“To eradicate monkeypox requires three things: proof that it is possible, which we are now beginning to see; political will and commitment; and implementing public health responses in the communities that need them most,” Tedros said.
“We don’t have to live with monkeypox.”
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published by a syndicated feed.)
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