The largest number of cases were detected in Great Britain (207), Spain (156), Portugal (138), Canada (58) and Germany (57)
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The number of monkeypox cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 27 countries on 4 continents rises to 780. This is 523 more cases than last week’s survey. Almost 90% of the cases (688) were registered in Europe: 207 in the UK, 156 in Spain, 138 in Portugal, 57 in Germany, 33 in France, 31 in the Netherlands, 20 in Italy. Outside the European area, the largest number of cases (58) were recorded in Canada.
“Most of the cases reported so far have emerged from sexual health services or other services in primary or secondary health facilities and involved mainly, but not exclusively, men who have sex with men (MSM) “, explains WHO.” Epidemiological investigations are ongoing “, continues the World Organization of Health: At present, the most likely hypothesis about the origin of the outbreak is that there was “undetected transmission for an unknown period of time followed by more recent amplification events.”
Outbreaks are now being reported relentlessly (for outbreak, in non-endemic countries, it should be noted that even a single isolated case is considered). “Although the current risk to human health and the general public remains low – explains WHO -, the risk to public health could become high if this virus takes advantage of the opportunity to establish itself in non-endemic countries as a pathogen. widespread human “. At present, the World Health Organization still assesses the risk globally as “moderate”.
However, the virus is undergoing mutations and cases present atypical symptoms. There are currently 66 deaths, currently located only in endemic areas (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gabon and Ivory Coast (in addition to Ghana, where the virus has only been identified in animals).