Health professionals urge urgent action as the window to halt the spread of monkeypox narrows.
The global monkeypox outbreak could continue for several months, experts advising the World Health Organisation (WHO) have warned, with the window of opportunity to halt its spread rapidly closing. According to WHO Europe, the number of monkeypox cases has surged to over 27,000 across 88 countries by August 2, up from 17,800 cases in almost 70 countries just weeks earlier.
Originally confined to parts of Africa, where it has been endemic for decades, monkeypox began spreading outside these regions in May. While it typically causes moderate symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, and painful skin lesions, the rapid increase in cases has raised alarms. Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at UCLA and a member of the WHO’s expert committee on monkeypox, stressed that health officials must act swiftly to control the outbreak.
“It’s clear that the window of opportunity for containment is closing,” Rimoin said, urging more proactive measures to limit the virus's spread.
While the WHO expert committee did not initially declare the outbreak a global health emergency, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus overruled the decision, declaring it an emergency regardless. In response, health professionals are calling for an accelerated approach, including widespread vaccination, expanded testing, enhanced contact tracing, and quarantine measures for those infected.
Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva, and chair of WHO Europe’s advisory group, warned that transmission is “clearly unchecked.” The advisory group has modelled various scenarios for the future, including continued transmission within high-risk groups, such as men who have sex with men, and potential spread into more vulnerable populations like children. A particularly concerning scenario is the possible transmission between humans and animals, which could establish a monkeypox reservoir in new regions, much like the one that exists in parts of west and central Africa.
Scientists also expressed concerns about the virus mutating, which could make it more efficient at spreading among humans. The primary mode of transmission is close physical contact, such as touching contaminated clothing, bedding, or towels used by an infected individual, or coming into contact with their skin lesions or scabs. While not officially classified as a sexually transmitted disease, sexual intercourse is considered a higher-risk activity due to the close physical contact involved, which increases the likelihood of exposure.
The majority of reported cases have been among gay and bisexual men, as well as men who have sex with men, highlighting the need for targeted public health measures. The ongoing surge in cases presents a significant challenge to global health authorities, as the fight to curb the outbreak intensifies.
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The first day’s journey was through the pink fields
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields