Monkeypox infections continue to rise globally, with more than 35,000 cases across 92 countries and territories, and 12 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Almost 7,500 cases were reported last week, a 20 percent increase over the previous week, which was also 20 percent more than the week before, UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday in Geneva.
The majority of cases are being reported from Europe and the Americas, and mostly among men who have sex with men.
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, Tedros said.
Currently, global supplies of monkeypox vaccines are limited, as is data about their effectiveness.
The WHO is in contact with manufacturers, and with countries and organizations willing to share vaccine doses, Tedros said.
"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," he added.