The director of the World Health Organization's European regional office, Hans Kluge, made a statement regarding the epidemiological situation related to the spread of the mpox (monkeypox) virus in various countries around the world. This was reported by the Health Ministry Press Service here.
According to him, there is no need for panic. It is possible to stop the monkeypox epidemic. For this, necessary preventive measures need to be intensified. Vaccine supplies need to be increased in areas where infection hotspots have been identified and where there is a high risk of the virus spreading.
"Monkeypox is not a problem to the extent of the coronavirus, we know how to fight this virus," — says Hans Kluge.
According to the statement, by the end of June, cases had been recorded in a total of 116 countries, including the Central African Republic, Burundi, Kenya, and Rwanda.
A new strain of the virus, named "Clade Ib," is currently spreading in several countries. This mutation has caused the death of 500 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the beginning of August, patients who contracted the same type of monkeypox were also recorded in Sweden.
British scientists believe that the "Clade Ib" mutation is more infectious and causes relatively more severe complications than other strains.
Nevertheless, H. Kluge concludes that any strain of the monkeypox virus can be controlled and contained with appropriate epidemiological measures and vaccinations against the disease.
