Monkeypox cases across globe witnessed 21% dip last week, says WHO

The World Health Organization has said that there has been a downfall of 21 per cent in the number of monkeypox cases reported globally last week.

Since late April, more than 45,000 monkeypox cases have been reported in 98 countries, following which it was classified as a public health emergency of international concern.

Showing “a continuing steep rise,” the Americas have accounted for 60 per centof the cases in the past month, according to WHO.

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Pointing to lack of awareness and public health measures to control the spread of the virus, the WHO sounded the alarm for Latin America in particular.

According to WHO's latest epidemiological report, the decrease in case numbers may potentially signal that the outbreak is declining in the European region.

Many countries, including the US, are trying to stretch out supplies by administering smaller doses to make the most of existing stocks with vaccines in short supply.

Raising doubts about the safety of this so-called fractional dosing approach, the maker of the only approved monkeypox vaccine Bavarian Nordic said WHO is looking closely at the performance of available vaccines.

Saying there was no evidence the once-rare disease was spreading beyond men who were gay, the UK's Health Security Agency downgraded the country’s monkeypox outbreak last month.

While monkeypox spreads through skin-to-skin or skin-to-mouth contact with an infected patient’s lesions, people can also become infected through contact with infected clothing or bedsheets.

(With inputs from agencies)

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