A Monkeypox Outbreak has Reached Over 70,000 Cases, WHO Warns People Not to Relax

(CTN News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that the global monkeypox outbreak had topped 70,000 cases but warned that people shouldn’t let their guard down.

According to the WHO, case numbers are increasing in several countries in the Americas, as it stresses that a slowdown in new cases around the world could be the “most dangerous” time.

The UN’s health agency has reported more than 70,000 cases this year, with 26 deaths, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Cases are continuing to decline globally, but 21 countries reported new cases in the past week, mostly in the Americas, which accounted for almost 90 percent of all cases reported,” he said in Geneva.

When an outbreak declines, we might think it’s over and let down our guard, which is dangerous.

He said the WHO was working with countries to increase their testing capacity and to monitor trends.

“I’m concerned about reports of cases in Sudan, including in refugee camps near Ethiopia’s border,” Tedros said.

The World Health Organization will continue to treat monkeypox as an international health emergency.

Monkeypox worst hit the US

Outside the African countries where monkeypox is endemic, there’s been a surge in monkeypox infections since early May.

More than 42,000 cases have been reported in the Americas and Europe, nearly 25,000.

107 WHO member states have reported cases this year, but 39 haven’t reported any in 21 days.

Among the 10 countries with the most cases, the United States (26,723) is number one; Brazil (8,147); Spain (7,209) is number two; France (4,043) is number three; Britain (3,654) is number six; Germany (3,640); Peru (2,587) is number five; Colombia (2,453) is number six; Mexico (1,968) is number one; and Canada (1,400).

Nearly 87 percent of global cases come from these countries.

As far as the WHO’s case dashboard is concerned, 97 percent of the men were 35 years old or older, 90 percent had sex with men, and 49 percent were HIV-positive.

It causes fever, muscle aches, and boil-like lesions on the skin.

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