Monkeypox cases drop 21% globally

Geneva: World Health Organization report issued on Thursday informed that the number of monkeypox cases reported globally dropped by 21 per cent in the last week.

The UN health agency reported 5,907 new weekly cases and said two countries, Iran and Indonesia, reported their first cases. At present, more than 45,000 cases have been reported in 98 countries since late April, as per CBC. Cases in the Americas accounted for 60 per cent of cases in the past month, WHO said, while cases in Europe comprised about 38 per cent. It said infections in the Americas showed "a continuing steep rise."

Earlier, WHO technical lead Rosamund Lewis said that vaccines against monkeypox are not 100 per cent effective and that is why, people must reduce their own risks of infection.

This comes as more than 35,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide across more than 92 countries and 12 deaths have been attributed to the disease.

Addressing a press briefing, Lewis said that WHO is "not expecting a 100 per cent efficacy" for these vaccines for the prevention of monkeypox.

"We don't have the exact information ... it reminds us that vaccine is not a silver bullet? That every person who feels that they are at risk and appreciates the level of risk and wishes to lower their risk have many interventions at their disposal, which includes vaccination where available, but also includes protection from activities, where they may be at risk," she said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had also said that most of the monkeypox cases are being reported from Europe and the Americas -among men who have sex with men.

Back in July, Tedros announced that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.

Most people usually recover from monkeypox within a few weeks without treatment. The symptoms are initially flu-like, such as fever, chills, and swollen lymph nodes, which are then followed by a widespread rash. According to the WHO, the disease can be more severe in young children, pregnant women, and individuals who are immuno-compromised.

The monkeypox virus is not easily transmitted and usually spreads through close physical contact, including sexual contact, with an infected individual.

The virus can enter a human body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, eyes, nose and mouth, and via bodily fluids. Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease. It originates in animals like rodents and primates and occurs in remote parts of Central and West Africa.