Europe’s head of the World Health Organization warned on Friday that monkeypox cases in the region have tripled in the past two weeks and urged countries to do more to ensure the rare disease does not take hold in the continent.
Dr. Hans Kluge said in a statement that further efforts were needed despite the UN health agency’s decision last week that the escalating outbreak did not yet warrant being declared a global health emergency.
“Urgent and coordinated action is imperative if we are to turn the race around to reverse the continued spread of this disease,” Kluge said.
To date, more than 5,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 51 countries around the world, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kluge said the number of infections in Europe represents about 90% of the global total and noted that 31 countries in the WHO European region have now identified cases.
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‘Sustained transmission’ of monkeypox will put vulnerable groups at risk, WHO warns
Kluge said data reported to the WHO shows that 99% of cases have been in men, and most of those have been in men who have sex with men. But he said there were now “small numbers” of cases among household contacts, including children. Most people reported symptoms including rash, fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, and chills.
Scientists warn that anyone who is in close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox or their clothes or sheets is at risk of becoming infected, regardless of their sexual orientation. Vulnerable populations, such as children and pregnant women, are thought to be more likely to experience serious illness.
About 10% of patients were hospitalized for treatment or isolation, and one person was admitted to an intensive care unit. No deaths have been reported.
Kluge said the problem of stigmatization in some countries could make some people wary of seeking medical care and said the WHO was working with partners, including organizers of gay pride events.
In the UK, which has the largest outbreak of monkeypox outside of Africa, authorities have noted that the disease is spreading in “defined sexual networks of homosexuals, bisexuals or men who have sex with men”. British health authorities said there were no signs to suggest sustained transmission beyond those populations.
A top adviser to the WHO said in May that the rise in cases in Europe was likely related to sexual activity by men at two rave parties in Spain and Belgium, and speculated that their appearance in the gay and bisexual community was a “big event.” random”. British experts have said that the majority of cases in the UK involve men who reported having sex with other men in places such as saunas and sex clubs.
Ahead of gay pride events in the UK this weekend, London’s top public health doctor has asked people who have symptoms of monkeypox, such as swollen glands or blisters, to stay home.
WHO Europe director Kluge called on countries to increase their surveillance and genetic sequencing capabilities for monkeypox so that cases can be identified quickly and steps taken to prevent further transmission. He said that the acquisition of vaccines “must apply the principles of equity.”
The main vaccine used against monkeypox was originally developed for smallpox and the European Medicines Agency said earlier this week that it was beginning to assess whether the shot should be authorized for monkeypox. The WHO has said supplies of the vaccine, made by Bavarian Nordic, are extremely limited.
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Some countries, including the UK and Germany, have already started vaccinating people at high risk of getting monkeypox; the UK recently expanded its immunization program to offer the vaccine to mostly gay and bisexual men who have multiple sexual partners and are thought to be the most vulnerable.
Until May, monkeypox had never been known to cause large outbreaks beyond Africa, where the disease is endemic in several countries and mostly causes limited outbreaks when it jumps to people from infected wild animals.
To date, there have been around 1,800 suspected cases of monkeypox, including more than 70 deaths in Africa. Vaccines have never been used to stop monkeypox outbreaks in Africa.
The WHO Africa office said this week that countries with vaccine supplies “are mainly reserving them for their own populations.”
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