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GENEVA, June 9 (Bernama) — There’s a “actual” threat of monkeypox changing into established in non-endemic international locations, the World Well being Organisation warned on Wednesday, whereas additionally reiterating that the COVID-19 pandemic “will not be over.”
“Greater than 1,000 confirmed instances of monkeypox have now been reported to WHO from 29 international locations that aren’t endemic for the illness,” Anadolu Company reported WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus mentioned.
He mentioned no deaths have been reported within the outbreaks, including that the UN well being company “doesn’t advocate mass vaccination towards monkeypox.”
“Instances have been reported primarily, however not solely, amongst males who’ve intercourse with males. Some international locations at the moment are starting to report instances of obvious group transmission, together with some instances in ladies,” mentioned Tedros.
He mentioned the unfold of the illness to a number of non-endemic international locations “means that there might need been undetected transmission for a while.”
“The chance of monkeypox changing into established in non-endemic international locations is actual,” he emphasised.
He identified that the “virus has been circulating and killing in Africa for many years,” with greater than 1,400 suspected instances and 66 deaths throughout the continent simply this 12 months.
“It’s an unlucky reflection of the world we reside in that the worldwide group is barely now being attentive to monkeypox as a result of it has appeared in high-income international locations,” he added.
In response to Anadolu Company, Tedros mentioned the notion that the COVID-19 pandemic is over is “misguided” because the virus claimed greater than 7,000 lives final week.
“The pandemic will not be over, and we are going to maintain saying it’s not over till it’s,” he asserted.
Whereas instances and deaths decline globally, the WHO continues to induce warning as there’s “not sufficient testing and never sufficient vaccination” worldwide, he defined.
On common, the WHO chief mentioned some 75 per cent of well being employees and other people over 60 globally have been vaccinated.
The charges, nonetheless, are “a lot decrease in low-income international locations,” he mentioned, including that “68 international locations have nonetheless not achieved 40 per cent protection.”
“Vaccine provide is now ample, however demand in lots of international locations with the bottom vaccination charges is missing,” mentioned Tedros.
He warned {that a} “new and much more harmful variant may emerge at any time.”
The WHO can also be monitoring reviews of unexplained hepatitis in youngsters around the globe, in response to Tedros.
“Greater than 700 possible instances of hepatitis of unknown trigger in youngsters have now been reported to WHO from 34 international locations, and an extra 112 instances are underneath investigation,” he mentioned.
“Not less than 38 of those youngsters have wanted liver transplants, and 10 have died.”
He mentioned the UN company is working with international locations to analyze the trigger, however the 5 viruses that generally trigger hepatitis haven’t been detected in any of those instances.
“WHO receives reviews of unexplained hepatitis in youngsters yearly, however a number of international locations have indicated that the charges they’re seeing are above what is predicted,” mentioned Tedros.
— BERNAMA
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