The World Health Organization warned on Friday that the 200 cases of monkeypox discovered in recent weeks outside of nations where the virus is normally present could be just the start.
In a briefing to governments on the virus’s “unusual” spread, Sylvie Briand, WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention chief, admitted, “We don’t know if we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg.”
Nearly 200 cases have been reported to the UN health agency since Britain first reported a confirmed monkeypox case on May 7 in countries distant from where the virus is endemic. The number of such cases has been estimated at 219 by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Monkeypox cases have been found in more than 20 countries throughout the world, including the United States, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and almost a dozen EU countries, despite the fact that it is endemic in a number of west and central African countries. According to the Spanish health ministry, 98 cases have been confirmed so far, while 90 illnesses have been confirmed in the United Kingdom.
In the meanwhile, 74 confirmed cases have been reported in Portugal, according to health officials, with all of the cases occurring in men under the age of 40. Briand addressed member state members at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, “We are still at the very, very beginning of this event.”
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