Monkeypox a 'real risk', WHO warns as cases cross 1000 globally

As more than 1000 cases of monkeypox were confirmed globally in countries where it was previously rare, the WHO has warned that there is 'a real risk' of the disease establishing itself in non-endemic countries.

The WHO said that more than 1,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox have now been reported to WHO from 29 countries that are not endemic for the disease but no deaths have been reported so far.

The zoonotic disease is regularly found in humans in nine African countries but in the past month outbreaks have been reported in several other counTries -- mostly in Europe, and notably in Britain, Spain and Portugal.

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WHO said the sudden and unexpected detection of monkeypox in numerous countries “suggests that there might have been undetected transmission for some unknown duration of time followed by recent amplifier events." Last month, a leading adviser to WHO said the outbreak in Europe and beyond was likely spread by sex at two recent raves in Spain and Belgium.

(with PTI inputs)