MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Community transmission of monkeypox already happening, WHO says

“Most cases are in men who have had a relationship with other men,” said Tedros

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his concern following new data on the spread of monkeypox allowing scientists to say community transmission of the malady is already occurring.

The UN official confirmed there were over 1,000 cases worldwide and called the affected countries to up their efforts to identify close contacts of positive detections, in order to stop the chain of monkeypox contagion.

“More than 1,000 cases have already been reported in 29 countries where the infection is not endemic,” said Adhanom. “Most cases are in men who have had a relationship with other men, but other countries have already reported cases in women,” he added.

Monkeypox symptoms are similar to those of smallpox. They include itching or pain, skin rashes, fever, muscle aches, headache, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion.

Transmission of monkeypox is respiratory, but due to the characteristics of the suspected cases, it is also likely to happen through contact and exposure to droplets and fluids. The incubation period can range from 5 to 21 days and symptoms usually resolve within 14 to 21 days.

Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis with human infections generally occurring in forested parts of Central and West Africa. A zoonosis is an infectious disease that passes from an animal to humans: usually bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

It has a case fatality rate of about 1% in West Africa, although in the Congo Basin it shoots up to 10%. Children are most at risk, and suffering from the disease during pregnancy could lead to complications.