Monkeypox cases top 35,000: WHO |

“Almost 7,500 cases were reported last week, a 20 per cent increase over the previous week, which was also 20 per cent more than the week before,” mentioned WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, talking throughout his common press briefing from Geneva. 

The majority of cases are being reported from Europe and the Americas, and largely amongst males who’ve intercourse with males.  

Be ready 

“The primary focus for all countries must be to ensure they are ready for monkeypox, and to stop transmission using effective public health tools, including enhanced disease surveillance, careful contact tracing, tailored risk communication and community engagement, and risk reduction measures,” mentioned Tedros. 

Currently, world provides of Monkeypox vaccines are restricted, as is knowledge about their effectiveness. WHO is involved with producers, and with international locations and organizations prepared to share vaccine doses.  

“We remain concerned that the inequitable access to vaccines we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic will be repeated, and that the poorest will continue to be left behind,” mentioned Tedros. 

COVID deaths ‘completely unacceptable’ 

COVID-19 deaths have additionally elevated over the past 4 weeks, rising by 35 per cent, with 15,000 lives misplaced previously week alone. 

“Fifteen thousand deaths a week is completely unacceptable, when we have all the tools to prevent infections and save lives,” Tedros remarked. 

Although everybody may be uninterested in COVID-19, “the virus is not tired of us,” he mentioned.  

Omicron stays the dominant variant, with the BA.5 sub-variant accounting for greater than 90 per cent of genome sequences shared within the final month.  

Winter worries 

Tedros reported that it’s changing into more durable to grasp how the virus may be altering. 

The variety of sequences shared per week has fallen by 90 per cent because the starting of the 12 months, and the variety of international locations sharing sequences has additionally dropped by 75 per cent.  

He warned that with colder climate approaching within the northern hemisphere, and other people spending extra time indoors, the danger for extra intense transmissions will solely enhance. 

“But none of us is helpless – please get vaccinated if you are not, and if you need a booster, get one,” he suggested, along with measures resembling carrying a masks and avoiding crowds, particularly indoors. 

“There is a lot of talk about learning to live with this virus. But we cannot live with 15,000 deaths a week”.