monkeypox
UN health agency chief declares monkeypox a global emergency
The chief of the World Health Organization said the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an “extraordinary” situation that now qualifies as a global emergency, a declaration Saturday that could spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease and worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the decision to issue the declaration despite a lack of consensus among experts serving on the U.N. health agency's emergency committee. It was the first time the chief of the U.N. health agency has taken such an action.
“We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission about which we understand too little and which meets the criteria in the international health regulations,” Tedros said.
“I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views among the members" of the committee, he added.
A global emergency is WHO's highest level of alert, but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal. WHO’s emergencies chief, Dr. Michael Ryan, said the director-general made the decision to put monkeypox in that category to endure the gobal community takes the current outbreaks seriously.
Although monkeypox has been established in parts of central and west Africa for decades, it was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of epidemics in Europe, North America and elsewhere.
Declaring a global emergency means the monkeypox outbreak is an “extraordinary event” that could spill over into more countries and requires a coordinated global response. WHO previously declared emergencies for public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, the Zika virus in Latin America in 2016 and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio.
The emergency declaration mostly serves as a plea to draw more global resources and attention to an outbreak. Past announcements had mixed impact, given that the U.N. health agency is largely powerless in getting countries to act.
Last month, WHO’s expert committee said the worldwide monkeypox outbreak did not yet amount to an international emergency, but the panel convened this week to reevaluate the situation.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since about May. To date, monkeypox deaths have only been reported in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is spreading, mainly in Nigeria and Congo.
Two children diagnosed with monkeypox in U.S., officials say
Two children have been diagnosed with monkeypox in the U.S., health officials said Friday.
One is a toddler in California and the other an infant who is not a U.S. resident but was tested while in Washington, D.C., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The children were described as being in good health and receiving treatment. How they caught the disease is being investigated, but officials think it was through household transmission.
Other details weren’t immediately disclosed.
Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, but this year more than 15,000 cases have been reported in countries that historically don’t see the disease. In the U.S. and Europe, the vast majority of infections have happened in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.
In addition to the two pediatric cases, health officials said they were aware of at least eight women among the more than 2,800 U.S. cases reported so far.
While the virus has mostly been spreading among men who have sex with men, “I don’t think its surprising that we are occasionally going to see cases” outside that social network, the CDC’s Jennifer McQuiston told reporters Friday.
Officials have said the virus can spread through close personal contact, and via towels and bedding. That means it can happen in homes, likely through prolonged or intensive contact, said Dr. James Lawler, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“People don’t crawl on each other’s beds unless they are living in the same house or family,” he said.
Read: Monkeypox cases triple in Europe, WHO says, Africa concerned
In Europe, there have been at least six monkeypox cases among kids 17 years old and younger.
This week, doctors in the Netherlands published a report of a boy who was seen at an Amsterdam hospital with about 20 red-brown bumps scattered across his body. It was monkeypox, and doctors said they could not determine how he got it.
In Africa, monkeypox infections in children have been more common, and doctors have noted higher proportions of severe cases and deaths in young children.
One reason may be that many older adults were vaccinated against smallpox as kids, likely giving them some protection against the related monkeypox virus, Lawler said. Smallpox vaccinations were discontinued when the disease was eradicated about 40 years ago.
India reports 1st monkeypox case, states asked to test all suspected cases
India on Thursday reported the first monkeypox case in the southern state of Kerala with the infected person being a traveler who reached the state on July 12, an official said at the federal health ministry.
After the detection of the first monkeypox case, the federal government is rushing a multi-disciplinary team of senior doctors to Kerala to help the state government in investigating the outbreak and initiate requisite public health measures, said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary (Public Health) at the federal health ministry.
Earlier during the day, the federal government had asked all the state governments to ensure screening and testing of all suspected monkeypox cases at all entry points and in the community as part of the country's overall preparedness against the disease, local media reported on Thursday.
Read: Monkeypox cases triple in Europe, WHO says, Africa concerned
The federal government also asked the states to identify hospitals and ensure adequate human resources and logistic support to manage any suspected or confirmed Monkeypox cases. ■
Monkeypox cases triple in Europe, WHO says, Africa concerned
The World Health Organization’s Europe chief warned Friday that monkeypox cases in the region have tripled in the last two weeks and urged countries to do more to ensure the previously rare disease does not become entrenched on the continent.
And African health authorities said they are treating the expanding monkeypox outbreak as an emergency, calling on rich countries to share limited supplies of vaccines to avoid equity problems seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO Europe chief Dr. Hans Kluge said in a statement that increased efforts were needed despite the U.N. 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 a corner in the race to reverse the ongoing spread of this disease,” Kluge said.
To date, more than 5,000 monkeypox cases have been reported from 51 countries worldwide that don’t normally report the disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kluge said the number of infections in Europe represents about 90% of the global total, with 31 countries in the WHO’s European region having identified cases.
Kluge said data reported to the WHO show that 99% of cases have been in men — the majority in men that have sex with men. But he said there were now “small numbers” of cases among household contacts, including children. Most people reported symptoms including a rash, fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting and chills.
Scientists warn anyone who is in close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox or their clothing or bedsheets is at risk of infection. Vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women are thought more likely to suffer severe disease.
About 10% of patients were hospitalized for treatment or to be isolated, and one person was admitted to an intensive care unit. No deaths have been reported.
Kluge said the problem of stigmatization in some countries might make some people wary of seeking health care and said the WHO was working with partners including organizers of gay pride events.
In the U.K., which has the biggest monkeypox outbreak beyond Africa, officials have noted the disease is spreading in “defined sexual networks of gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men.” British health authorities said there were no signs suggesting sustained transmission beyond those populations.
A leading WHO adviser said in May that the spike in cases in Europe was likely tied to sexual activity by men at two rave parties in Spain and Belgium.
Ahead of gay pride events in the U.K. this weekend, London’s top public health doctor asked people with symptoms of monkeypox, like swollen glands or blisters, to stay home.
Nevertheless in Africa the WHO says that according to detailed data from Ghana monkeypox cases were almost evenly split between men and women, and no spread has been detected among men who have sex with men.
WHO Europe director Kluge also said the procurement of vaccines “must apply the principles of equity.”
The main vaccine being used against monkeypox was originally developed for smallpox and the European Medicines Agency said this week it was beginning to evaluate whether it should be authorized for monkeypox. The WHO has said supplies of the vaccine, made by Bavarian Nordic, are extremely limited.
Countries including the U.K. and Germany have already begun vaccinating people at high risk of monkeypox; the U.K. recently widened its immunization program to mostly gay and bisexual men who have multiple sexual partners and are thought to be most vulnerable.
Read: No monkeypox case detected yet in Bangladesh: Health Ministry
Until May, monkeypox had never been known to cause large outbreaks beyond parts of central and west Africa, where it’s been sickening people for decades, is endemic in several countries and mostly causes limited outbreaks when it jumps to people from infected wild animals.
To date, there have been about 1,800 suspected monkeypox cases in Africa, including more than 70 deaths, but only 109 have been lab-confirmed. The lack of laboratory diagnosis and weak surveillance means many cases are going undetected.
“This particular outbreak for us means an emergency,” said Ahmed Ogwell, the acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control.
The WHO says monkeypox has spread to African countries where it hasn’t previously been seen, including South Africa, Ghana and Morocco. But more than 90% of the continent’s infections are in Congo and Nigeria, according to WHO Africa director, Dr. Moeti Matshidiso.
Vaccines have never been used to stop monkeypox outbreaks in Africa; officials have relied mostly on contact tracing and isolation.
The WHO noted that similar to the scramble last year for COVID-19 vaccines, countries with supplies of vaccines for monkeypox are not yet sharing them with Africa.
“We do not have any donations that have been offered to (poorer) countries,” said Fiona Braka, who heads the WHO emergency response team in Africa. “We know that those countries that have some stocks, they are mainly reserving them for their own populations.”
Matshidiso said the WHO was in talks with manufacturers and countries with stockpiles to see if they might be shared.
“We would like to see the global spotlight on monkeypox act as a catalyst to beat this disease once and for all in Africa,” she said Thursday.
Monkeypox not global public health emergency right now: WHO
Monkeypox is not yet a global health emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) said recently, though intense response efforts are needed to control the further spread of the rare viral disease.
The announcement came Saturday – two days after WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus convened an emergency committee on the disease, under the International Health Regulations (IHR), to address the rising caseload.
"The WHO Director-General concurs with the advice offered by the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country monkeypox outbreak, and, at present, does not determine that the event constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)," the UN agency said.
The PHEIC declaration is the highest level of global alert, which currently applies only to the Covid-19 pandemic and polio.
Monkeypox occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa, though it is occasionally exported to other regions.
Since May, more than 3,000 cases have emerged in 47 countries, many of which never previously reported the disease.
The highest numbers are currently in Europe, and most cases are among men who have sex with men.
There have been few hospitalisations to date and one death.
"The Committee unanimously acknowledged the emergency nature of the outbreak and that controlling further spread requires intense response efforts," the WHO said.
Members also recommended that the situation should be closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks.
"What makes the current outbreak especially concerning is rapid, continuing spread into new countries and regions and the risk of further, sustained transmission into vulnerable populations including people that are immunocompromised, pregnant women and children," Tedros said.
He underscored the need for both collective attention and coordinated action through public health measures including surveillance, contact tracing, isolation and care of patients, and ensuring vaccines, treatments and other tools are available to at-risk populations and shared fairly.
Also read: Monkeypox: Global situation cannot be ignored amid uncertainty, says WHO chief
Monkeypox: Global situation cannot be ignored amid uncertainty, says WHO chief
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief recently said person-to-person transmission of monkeypox was ongoing and likely underestimated.
He was addressing the WHO's Emergency Committee Thursday on the global monkeypox outbreak.
Members of the committee could announce their decision on whether or not the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, as early as Friday.
However, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the spread of the disease both in non-endemic and endemic countries cannot be ignored.
The first mysterious cluster appeared in the UK just over six weeks ago, when the WHO was told of a family cluster of three cases, without any recent travel taking place.
Read: No monkeypox case detected yet in Bangladesh: Health Ministry
"Since then, more than 3,200 confirmed cases of monkeypox, and one death, have been reported to the WHO, from 48 countries including Nigeria, and in five WHO regions," Tedros said.
The outbreak in newly affected countries continues to be primarily among men who have sex with men, and who reported recent sex with new or multiple partners, he added.
However, in Nigeria, the proportion of women affected is much higher than elsewhere, and it is critical to better understand how the disease is spreading there, the WHO chief said.
So far this year, almost 1,500 suspected cases of monkeypox and around 70 deaths have been reported in Central Africa, primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but also in the Central African Republic and Cameroon, Tedros added.
"Few of these cases are confirmed, and little is known about their circumstances. While the epidemiology and viral clade in these cases may be different, it is a situation that cannot be ignored."
The WHO chief said all countries had to remain vigilant and strengthen their capacities to prevent the onward transmission of monkeypox. "Many countries will likely have missed opportunities to identify cases, including cases in the community without any recent travel."
US boosts monkeypox testing, 142 cases confirmed
The Biden administration has started shipping monkeypox tests to commercial laboratories, in a bid to speed diagnoses for suspected infections for the virus that has already infected at least 142 people in the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending tests to labs, including Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Sonic Healthcare, which it said would significant expand the nation's health system's capacity to test for monkeypox. Previously, testing has largely been confined to public health labs, which combined have a capacity of about 8,000 tests per week.
Read: WHO convenes experts to decide if monkeypox is an emergency
“All Americans should be concerned about monkeypox cases," said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. "Thankfully we have right now the tools to fight and treat cases in America. By dramatically expanding the number of testing locations throughout the country, we are making it possible for anyone who needs to be tested to do so.”
The disease first causes flu-like symptoms before progressing to a rash on the face and body and is commonly found in parts of central and west Africa. But this year, 1,880 infections have been reported in more than 30 countries where monkeypox isn’t typically found.
Most of those cases have been found in Europe. As of June 21, the CDC has confirmed 142 monkeypox infections in the U.S.
Read: Britain records 104 more monkeypox cases
Monkeypox comes from the same family of viruses as smallpox. Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the disease is fatal for up to 1 in 10 people, according to the World Health Organization.
WHO convenes experts to decide if monkeypox is an emergency
The World Health Organization will convene an emergency committee of experts to determine if the expanding monkeypox outbreak that has mysteriously spread outside Africa should be considered a global health emergency.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday he decided to convene the emergency committee on June 23 because the virus has shown “unusual” recent behavior by spreading in countries well beyond parts of Africa where it is endemic.
“We believe that it needs also some coordinated response because of the geographic spread,” he told reporters.
Declaring monkeypox to be an international health emergency would give it the same designation as the COVID-19 pandemic and mean that WHO considers the normally rare disease a continuing threat to countries globally.
The U.K. said Monday it had 470 cases of monkeypox across the country, with the vast majority in gay or bisexual men. British scientists said last week they could not tell if the spread of the disease in the U.K. had peaked.
The meeting of outside experts could also help improve understanding and knowledge about the virus, Tedros said, as WHO released new guidelines about vaccinating against monkeypox.
Dr. Ibrahima Soce Fall, WHO’s emergencies director for Africa, said case counts were growing every day and health officials face “many gaps in terms of knowledge of the dynamics of the transmission” — both in Africa and beyond.
“With the advice from the emergency committee, we can be in a better position to control the situation. But it doesn’t mean that we are going straight to a public health emergency of international concern,” he said, referring to WHO’s highest level of alert for viral outbreaks. “We don’t want to wait until the situation is out of control to start calling the emergency committee.”
The U.N. health agency does not recommend mass vaccination, but advises the “judicious” use of vaccines. It said controlling the disease relies primarily on measures like surveillance, tracking cases and isolating patients.
Last month, a leading adviser to WHO said the outbreak in Europe and beyond was likely spread by sex at two recent rave parties in Spain and Belgium.
Scientists warn that anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, is susceptible to catching monkeypox if they are in close, physical contact with an infected person or their clothing or bed sheets.
Also read: Suspected Chuadanga patient not infected with monkeypox, says medical board
WHO has been working with partner countries to create a mechanism by which some vaccines for smallpox — a related disease — might be made available to countries that are affected, as research continues into their effectiveness against the new outbreak.
Tedros said more than 1,600 cases and nearly 1,500 suspected cases have been reported this year in 39 countries, including seven where monkeypox has been reported for years. A total of 72 deaths have been reported but none in the newly affected countries, which include Britain, Canada, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United States.
Also read: Brazil confirms 2nd case of monkeypox
The ongoing outbreak of monkeypox in Europe and elsewhere marks the first time the disease has been known to spread among people who have no travel links to Africa.
Suspected Chuadanga patient not infected with monkeypox, says medical board
A 60-year old woman who was sent to Chuadanga sadar hospital with blisters has not been tested positive for monkeypox.
Dr Abul Hossain, head of a three- member medical board formed in this regard, confirmed it to the UNB reporter.
He said, “The woman might have got the blisters as side effects of any medicine she was taking. She will be kept kept under observation in a room until recovery.”
The woman from Bhandardaha village was admitted to the hospital on Thursday with a number of marble sized blisters all over her body, said Dr Waliar Rahman sadar upazila health and family planning officer.
READ: Monkeypox scare: India returnee sent to Jashore hospital
On duty medical officer Wahid Mahmud Robin informed the matter to the civil surgeon and hospital supervisor as it seemed like a symptom of pox. She was sent home with guidelines to keep in isolation after giving primary treatment according to the authority’s suggestion.
On Friday she was brought again to the hospital and the medical board formed in this regard collected her samples for testing.
Dr Abul Hossain said, “We think the blisters might be effects of medicine reaction. We have sought suggestions from a dermatologist and hopefully she will recover soon.”
Monkeypox scare: India returnee sent to Jashore hospital
A man was sent to Jashore General Hospital with suspected symptoms of monkeypox on return from India on Friday.
Abbas Ali, 42, a resident of Daora village in Shailkupa upazila of Jhenaidah, went to India on June 3.
He returned through Benapole this afternoon, said Raju Ahmed, officer-in-Charge (OC) of Benapole Immigration Police.
Read: Turkish citizen who arrived at Shahjalal does not have monkeypox
Abbas was rushed to the health centre after the immigration authority noticed rashes on his body during screening, he added.
Dr Mohsina Akhter Rumpa, health officer of Benapole checkpost primary health care centre said that nothing can be confirmed before medical tests
“The man was initially thought to be infected with chickenpox. However, he has been sent to Jashore General Hospital under special arrangements where senior officials will look after the matter,” she added.
Earlier, a Turkish citizen, who showed suspected symptoms of monkeypox, was sent to hospital after arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on June 7.
However, he was discharged from the hospital after tests found no monkeypox virus.
On May 22, the government instructed the authorities concerned to strengthen surveillance at land, air and sea ports for screening travellers coming to Bangladesh from countries with confirmed monkeypox cases.
Read: No monkeypox case detected yet in Bangladesh: Health Ministry
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued a notice in this regard.
According to the notice, monkeypox is not a new disease. It was found among people in West and Middle African countries in the past. Recently it has been detected among people living in European and American countries with no history of travelling African countries.
People who contracted the virus or came close to the infected people should be listed as suspected patients of monkeypox, it said.
The suspected patients or patients having symptoms should be taken to government hospitals or Infectious Diseases Hospital and kept in isolation and it should be reported to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).