WHO warns summer festivals and parties could further spread monkeypox

WHO warns summer festivals and parties could further spread monkeypox
June 1, 2022, 10:37 am

WHO

Tha Anews reported, citing the DPA, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a possible further spread of monkeypox at festivals and big events planned for this summer in Europe.

WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge said in a statement: "The potential for further transmission in Europe and elsewhere over the summer is high."

However, Kluge said, festivals and celebrations planned for the coming months also offered an opportunity "to raise awareness and strengthen individual and community protection" among the young, the sexually active and the globally mobile.

According to Kluge, investigations into the cases so far suggest that the outbreak in Europe dates from mid-April. It is the largest and most geographically widespread ever reported outside West and Central Africa, areas where monkeypox is endemic.

Monkeypox doesn’t spread as easily as common illnesses like COVID-19 or the flu. People can only catch monkeypox if they have close contact with someone who is infected - Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Kluge said rapid monkeypox transmission was assisted by the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in most of Europe in recent months. Although many cases so far have been linked to sexual activity, Kluge said, he stressed that the virus could affect anyone.

Britain issues monkeypox guidance to control transmission

Kluge said that as the virus didn't spread through the same pathways as Covid-19, there was no need for the sweeping public health measures imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

He added: "But - and this is important - we do not yet know if we will be able to contain its spread completely."

Source: anews

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