Published on 25.07.2022
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OMS » The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Saturday that he would trigger the highest level of alert in an attempt to stem the outbreak of monkeypox. “I have decided to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (USPPI) regarding the outbreak of monkeypox,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. And to specify that the risk in the world is relatively moderate, except in Europe where it is high. Since the beginning of May, the disease has struck more than 16,836 people in 74 countries.
He pointed out that at present, “this outbreak is concentrated among men who have sex with men, and particularly those who have multiple partners, which means that it can be stopped with right strategies in the right group”. A study published Thursday in the scientific journal New England Journal of Medicine confirms that in 95% of recent cases, the disease was transmitted during sexual contact, and 98% of those affected were gay or bisexual men. “Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus,” insisted the head of the WHO. ATS/AFP