{"id":155159,"date":"2022-07-04T05:07:46","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T09:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=155159"},"modified":"2022-07-04T08:45:37","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T12:45:37","slug":"who-monkeypox-not-a-serious-threat-at-the-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/who-monkeypox-not-a-serious-threat-at-the-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO: Monkeypox not a serious threat at the moment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Monkeypox may be spreading across dozens of nations, but doesn\u2019t qualify as a global health emergency yet, the World Health Organization said Saturday.<\/p>

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However, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said monkeypox was evolving rapidly and advised governments around the world to increase their surveillance, contact tracing and testing,\u00a0CNBC reported<\/a>. He also urged world leaders to ensure that people at high risk have access to vaccines and antiviral treatments.<\/p>\n

The WHO has said mass vaccination is not recommended at this time to stop monkeypox. The US is offering vaccines to people who are at high risk of exposure to the virus and has\u00a0sent doses to New York<\/a>\u00a0amid a spike in cases.<\/p>

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A total of\u00a087 people have tested positive in New York<\/a>\u00a0as of Friday, according to the city Health Department, up from 78 people on Thursday.<\/p>

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The WHO met on an emergency basis to determine the monkeypox threat level. At least 3,000 monkeypox cases across more than 50 countries have been identified since early May, WHO data shows.<\/p>\n

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At least 3,000 monkeypox cases across more than 50 countries have been identified since early May.<\/figcaption>
Smith Collection\/Gado\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus advised governments around the world to increase their surveillance, contact tracing and testing.<\/figcaption>
Johanna Geron\/Pool via AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The US has reported 460 confirmed or suspected monkeypox cases across 32 states and Washington DC, according to the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>

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At stake was the possibility the WHO emergency committee would activate the organization\u2019s highest alert level \u2013 similar to the one set in motion by COVID-19.<\/p>\n

Tedros said the outbreak is worrisome, because it is spreading rapidly outside remote parts of West and Central Africa where it is usually found. In the current outbreak, 84% of cases reported worldwide are in Europe, which is rare.<\/p>

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The US is offering monkeypox vaccines to people who are at high risk of exposure.<\/figcaption>
Bill O’Leary\/The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat makes the current outbreak especially concerning is the rapid, continuing spread into new countries and regions and the risk of further, sustained transmission into vulnerable populations including people that are immunocompromised, pregnant women and children,\u201d Tedros said in a statement Saturday.<\/p>

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Exactly how and why\u00a0monkeypox<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 which is typically passed from an infected animal to a human host \u2014 has cropped up, and spread across continents, remains a mystery.<\/p>\n

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