Europe ‘epicentre’ of Monkeypox outbreak – WHO

SWITZERLAND: The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Wednesday Europe remained the epicenter of the global Monkeypox outbreak, which posed a “real risk” with more than 1,500 cases reported in the region.

The UN health body already announced on Tuesday that it would hold an emergency meeting next week to determine whether to classify the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern.

“Europe remains the epicentre of this escalating outbreak with 25 countries reporting more than 1,500 cases, or 85 percent of the global total,” WHO’s Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge told a press conference on Wednesday.

WHO’s European region comprises 53 countries, including several in Central Asia. The regional director also warned that the risk was increasing as summer had arrived with “tourism, various Pride events, music festivals and other mass gatherings planned across the region.”

“These events are powerful opportunities to engage with young, sexually active and highly mobile people,” Kluge said, but stressed that “Monkeypox is not a reason to cancel events, but an opportunity to leverage them to drive our engagement.”

The EU announced Tuesday that it had purchased almost 110,000 vaccine doses to help tackle the outbreak, though the WHO does not recommend mass vaccination against Monkeypox.

– THE MEDICAL EXPRESS