Despite a drop in new cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that people should not let their guard down as the number of cases in the global monkeypox outbreak has already topped 70,000.
In 2023, the UN health organisation received reports of more than 70,000 illnesses and 26 fatalities, according to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The WHO noted that case numbers rose last week in some countries in the Americas while stressing that a global decline in new cases may be the “most dangerous” phase of the outbreak. According to Ghebreyesus, who spoke at a press conference in Geneva, “cases are continuing to drop globally, although 21 countries in the past week reported an increase in cases, largely in the Americas, which accounted for over 90% of all cases recorded last week.”
According to him, a declining outbreak can be the most dangerous since it may entice people to believe that the crisis is over and to ease up on our vigilance. He said that the WHO was assisting nations in boosting their testing capability and keeping an eye on trends. The WHO is concerned about reports of cases in Sudan, notably in refugee camps close to the Ethiopian border, the director said. Monkeypox continues to be a public health emergency of global significance, similar to COVID-19, and will continue to be handled as such by WHO, he added.
COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST CASE PERCENTAGE
Currently, more than 42,000 cases have been reported in the Americas, compared to about 25,000 in Europe. Monkeypox infections among males who have sex with men outside of the African countries where it is long-endemic have increased since early May. 107 WHO member states had reported cases in 2023, however 39 of them have not reported any new cases in the last 21 days. United States (26,723), Brazil (8,147), Spain (7,209), France (4,043), Britain (3,654), Germany (3,640), Peru (2,587), Colombia (2,453), Mexico (1,968), and Canada are the 10 nations with the most instances overall (1,400). Nearly 87% of cases around the world originate from these nations.
