WHO chief advises reducing sex partners to avoid monkeypox
World | July 28, 2022 11:17 ISTTo date, more than 19,000 cases have been reported in more than 75 countries; deaths have only been reported in Africa.
To date, more than 19,000 cases have been reported in more than 75 countries; deaths have only been reported in Africa.
Monkeypox: More than 16,000 cases have now been reported from 75 countries and there had been five deaths so far as a result of the outbreak.
Speaking on vaccinations, Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that in the past 18 months, more than 12 billion vaccines have been distributed globally.
According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the most likely explanation was a catastrophic accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, where infections first spread during late 2019, Daily Mail reported.
Vaccines for smallpox, a related disease, are thought to be about 85% effective against monkeypox. WHO’s Europe director, Dr. Hans Kluge, said Wednesday he was concerned by the scramble by some rich countries to buy more vaccines without talk of buying supplies for Africa.
At a briefing on Wednesday, WHO’s emergencies chief Dr Mike Ryan appealed to North Korean authorities for more information about COVID outbreak there, saying “we have real issues in getting access to raw data and to the actual situation on the ground.”
While so far no deaths have been reported, about 28 cases in these countries are potential cases. Investigations are going on to confirm them, the global health agency said.
The World Health Organisation has called for an emergency meeting to discuss the recent outbreak of monkeypox. Cases have been confirmed in Europe in the United Kingdom, Spain Portugal, Germany, and Italy. United States, Canada, and Australia have also reported cases.
At a media briefing, WHO D-G Tedros Adhanom described China’s “zero-COVID” strategy as “not sustainable” after similar remarks last week drew sharp criticism from China.
Last week, China cancelled the 2022 Asian Games scheduled to be held in Hangzhou in September and the World University Games due to start in Chengdu in late June.
Last week, just more than 15,000 coronavirus-related deaths were reported to the WHO, the lowest weekly total since March 2020.
This will be Prime Minister's second visit to the state after BJP's victory in 4 states assembly elections including the high stakes one Uttar Pradesh, concluded in March this year. During his visit, PM Modi will inaugurate, lay foundation stones of various developmental projects.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that India has shared its concerns with the methodology along with the other Member States through a series of formal communications including six letters issued to WHO.
The vaccine manufacturer has further said that the company is slowing down the production of Covaxin for facility optimization.
The frequency and magnitude of outbreaks of the arboviruses, particularly those transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, are increasing globally, fuelled by the convergence of ecologic, economic, and social factors.
The WHO brief said that young people, whose mental health has been affected by COVID-19, are disproportionally at risk of suicidal and self-harming behaviours.
The WHO chief made the remarks on Feb 18 at a panel discussion titled "Get Well Soon: Finding a Way Out of the Pandemic" during the ongoing Munich Security Conference, reports Xinhua news agency.
Many countries which reported an early rise in the number of cases due to the omicron variant have now reported a decline in the total number of new cases since the beginning of January 2022.
Earlier, World Health Organisation (WHO) claimed Covid symptoms take around five to six days to appear after infection. Latest reserch showed that symptoms start to develop very fast, on average about two days after contact with the virus.
WHO Director General Tedros reiterated his concern over the narrative taking hold in some countries that "because of vaccines, and because of Omicron's high transmissibility and lower severity, preventing transmission is no longer possible and no longer necessary."
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