92 Confirmed Cases Of Monkeypox Till Now, No Established Travel Links To Endemic Areas, Says WHO – Top Points

Monkeypox cases reported so far have no established travel links to endemic areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement dated May 21, 2022.

Monkepox lesions on the hands of a person infected with the monkeypox virus. The people who have had close physical contact with someone with monkeypox, while they are symptomatic, are most at risk.

Source : Getty Images

New Delhi: Monkeypox cases reported so far have no established travel links to endemic areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement dated May 21, 2022. Cases have been reported to the WHO from 12 Member States that are not endemic for monkeypox, across three WHO regions, since May 13, 2022. 

"Based on currently available information, cases have mainly but not exclusively been identified amongst men who have sex with men (MSM) seeking care in primary care and sexual health clinics," the WHO stated.

Here are top points from WHO's statement on monkeypox.

1. Since the situation is evolving, the WHO expects there will be more cases of monkeypox identified as surveillance expands in non-endemic countries. In order to stop further spread, the people who may be most at risk for monkeypox infection must be given accurate information. The people who have had close physical contact with someone with monkeypox, while they are symptomatic, are most at risk. The WHO is providing guidance to protect frontline health care providers and other health workers who may be at risk such as cleaners.

2. As many as 92 laboratory confirmed cases, and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox with investigations ongoing, have been reported to the WHO from 12 Member States not endemic for monkeypox virus, across three WHO regions, as of May 21, 13:00 CET (4:30 pm IST). Also, no associated deaths due to monkeypox have been reported to date.

3. All the cases whose samples were confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) have been identified as being infected with the West African clade. There is a close match between the monkeypox virus causing the current outbreak, and exported cases from Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Israel and Singapore in 2018 and 2019, as indicated by genome sequence from a swab sample from a confirmed case in Portugal.

4. According to the WHO, the identification of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox with no direct travel links to an endemic area represents a highly unusual event. Human-to-human transmission is occurring among people in close contact with cases who are symptomatic.

5. Monkeypox endemic countries are: Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan. In Ghana, monkeypox virus has been identified only in animals. In the past, Benin and South Sudan have documented importations. Cameroon and Nigeria are countries currently reporting cases of the West African clade. All countries except these four should report new cases of monkeypox as part of the current multi-country outbreak.

6. Extensive case finding, contact tracing, laboratory investigation, clinical management and isolation are among the public health investigations ongoing in non-endemic countries where cases have been identified.

7. In order to determine the monkeypox virus clade in this outbreak, genomic sequencing has been undertaken.

8. Vaccination for monkeypox is being deployed to manage close contacts, such as health workers, and experts are being convened by the WHO to discuss recommendations on vaccination.

9. As many as one to five cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in each of the following non-endemic countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, United States of America. 

Meanwhile, 21 to 30 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in each of the following countries: Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. 

As many as one to five cases are suspected in Belgium, 11 to 20 cases in Canada, one to five cases in France, and six to 10 cases in Spain.

10. From December 15, 2021, to February 22, 2022, the number of cumulative cases reported in Cameroon is 25. 

The Central African Republic has reported six cumulative cases from March 4 to April 10, 2022. 

As many as 1,238 cumulative cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from January 1 to May 1, 2022. 

Nigeria has reported 46 cumulative cases from January 1 to April 30, 2022.