Monkeypox outbreak to lead to a new pandemic? WHO answers as cases rise
Zee News
More than 300 suspected and confirmed cases of monkeypox have so far been recorded in May in around 23 countries, mostly in Europe.
New Delhi: Amid the rising number of monkeypox cases around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday (May 30, 2022) said that it does not believe that the recent outbreak outside Africa will lead to a new pandemic. The global health body also said that it remains unclear if infected people who are not displaying symptoms can transmit the disease.
More than 300 suspected and confirmed cases of monkeypox - a usually mild illness that spreads through close contact and can cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions - have so far been recorded in May in around 23 countries, mostly in Europe.
Asked whether this monkeypox outbreak has the potential to grow into a pandemic, Rosamund Lewis, technical lead for monkeypox from the WHO Health Emergencies Programme said, "We don`t know but we don`t think so."
"At the moment, we are not concerned about a global pandemic," she was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Once monkeypox has been contracted, the duration of the rash emerging and scabs falling off is recognised as the infectious period, but there is limited information on whether there is any spread of the virus by people who are not symptomatic, WHO official added.
