Geneva: A World Health Organization (WHO) official has warned that monkeypox infection may not be limited to men who have sex with men, but spread outside the community, as is currently the case. Men who have sex with men are currently considered to be at the highest risk of infection. A New England Journal of Medicine study last week, which looked at infections in 16 countries between April and June, found that 98 percent of cases were among gay or bisexual men.Also Read – Can you contract monkeypox through sex? Here’s what the experts had to say
WHO Senior Emergency Officer Dr. According to Catherine Smallwood, there is little evidence to suggest that the disease will be confined to the gay and bisexual communities, NBC reported. Also Read – Monkeypox in India: Delhi, Karnataka airports on alert; Health authorities on toes in UP after suspected case | Live
More severe cases could become apparent if the virus spreads to more immunologically weakened groups, including young children, pregnant women and immunocompromised people, Smallwood says. Also Read – Monkey pox in children: Are children more susceptible to this new smallpox-like disease?
She warned against complacency in the fast-growing monkeypox outbreak, which has so far caused more than 16,000 cases in some 75 countries and five deaths in Africa.
“At the moment, the vast majority of cases are in men who have sex with men, but we shouldn’t expect that,” Smallwood said.
“If it spreads to other groups, especially people who are susceptible to severe monkeypox disease, which we know there are some groups that are more susceptible to severe disease, then we could see an increased public health impact. ,” she added.
It’s not uncommon for a virus outbreak to start in a particular group or setting before spreading more widely to the general population, Smallwood said, adding that health officials can take cues from the early findings.
“This may actually be the canary in the mine alerting us to the threat of a new disease spreading to other groups,” she continued.
While many countries have already stepped up vaccination programs for those most at risk, the vaccines are primarily designed to treat smallpox, Smallwood said, adding that more information is needed to determine their effectiveness as the monkeypox virus continues to spread.
“We don’t have complete information on how effective and how effective these vaccines are against monkeypox,” she said.
The WHO has activated its highest alert level for the growing outbreak, declaring the virus a public health emergency of international concern. This will now draw more attention to the outbreak and, as a result, research into vaccines and other treatment methods, Smallwood said.
