WHO: We can eradicate monkeypox in 6 months

Arab Weather - After weeks of global concern over the outbreak of monkeypox in Africa, the director of the World Health Organization believes that the ongoing outbreak can be eliminated within the next six months. He announced on Friday that the first shipment of vaccines provided by the organization will arrive in the Congo within days.

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Vaccine shortages and rising monkeypox cases

So far, Africa has received only a fraction of the vaccines needed to stop the spread of the virus, particularly in Congo, which has the largest number of cases with more than 18,000 suspected cases and 629 deaths.

The World Health Organization's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, explained at a press conference that thanks to the leadership of governments and close collaboration with partners, the monkeypox outbreak can be brought under control within six months. Despite the increase in cases in recent weeks, the death toll remains relatively low.

• Spread of new strain of monkeypox

Tedros said there were 258 cases of the newer strain of monkeypox, with cases reported in Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Sweden and Thailand.

• Declare a global emergency

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared the African monkeypox outbreak a global emergency, aiming to galvanize an effective international response to the disease, especially on the continent where cases have been spreading undetected for years, including Nigeria. In May, scientists discovered a new strain of monkeypox in Congo that is thought to spread more easily.

Monkeypox symptoms and transmission methods

Monkeypox causes mild symptoms including fever, headache and body aches, while severe cases can cause painful sores and blisters on the face, chest, hands and genitals. The disease is usually transmitted through close contact between people.

• Challenges of providing vaccines for monkeypox

The head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the continent hopes to receive about 380,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine from donors such as the United States and the European Union, less than 15% of the doses authorities say are needed to stem the outbreak in Congo.

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