Monkeypox reaches Germany, France, Belgium; WHO calls for emergency meet

While the world still grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, the spread of monkeypox in several countries has caused alarm. According to reports, the World Health Organisation has called for an emergency meeting to discuss the rapidly growing outbreak.

After the US, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Canada, Australia now France, Germany and Belgium too have confirmed their first cases of the disease that’s endemic to Africa.

France has reported one confirmed case, while Belgium has reported two.

The infected individual in France had not travelled to one of the countries the virus was circulating, French health authorities said.

Monkeypox, which mostly occurs in west and central Africa, is a rare viral infection similar to human smallpox, though milder. It was first recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1970s.

Also watch: Explained: what is monkeypox, its symptoms and chances of human transmission

There are two main variants of the disease. The Congo strain has 10% mortality and the West African strain has a mortality rate of 1%.