With more than 2,100 infections in non-endemic countries, monkeypox is “real and concerning”, World Health Organisation officials said on Wednesday.
During a press conference for its Eastern Mediterranean region, WHO officials said the body will convene an emergency committee on June 23 to specifically address the rising number of monkeypox cases worldwide. The world health body said, however, that there was no need for a mass vaccination campaign and that treatments for those infected should focus on symptoms until medications that target the virus become more widely available.
The WHO said it is currently working with manufacturers to ramp up production of monkeypox treatments as well as vaccinations, but they will initially be reserved for healthcare workers frequently exposed to the virus.
The WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Director said that the current situation remains an “outbreak” as it has not yet spread widely enough to be called an epidemic.
