The World Health Organisation (WHO), says there are 14,000 confirmed cases of monkey pox across 70 countries, with five deaths reported in the African Region.
WHO director-general, Tedros Ghebreyesus, disclosed this on Wednesday during a virtual media briefing on Facebook, noting that most cases were reported from Europe primarily among men who have sex with men.
Mr Ghebreyesus noted that while infections are declining in some countries, “others are still seeing an increase and six countries reported their first cases last week.”
He added, “Some of these countries have much less access to diagnostics and vaccines, making the outbreak harder to track and harder to stop.
“WHO is validating, procuring and shipping tests to multiple countries and will continue to provide support for expanded access to effective diagnostics.”
He also emphasised that information is “one of the most powerful tools” against monkeypox because “the more information people at risk of Monkeypox have, the more they’re able to protect themselves.”
Speaking further, the WHO boss noted that the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee will reconvene Thursday to review the latest data and to consider whether the outbreak now constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).