Monkeypox outbreak “poses a real risk” to public health, WHO says

The monkeypox outbreak “poses a real risk” to public health, said the World Health Organization’s European chief Wednesday.

Driving the news: “The magnitude of this outbreak poses a real risk; the longer the virus circulates, the more it will extend its reach, and the stronger the disease’s foothold will get in non-endemic countries,” said Dr. Hans Henri Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, in a statement.

Kluge said governments, health officials and general society “need to act with urgency” in order to control the outbreak.

Details: Kluge listed three steps that could slow the spread of monkeypox, which has infected at least 1,600 people across 39 countries this year.

Countries should conduct contact tracing, testing and sequencing to identify new cases, Kluge said.
Society can work to stop human-to-human transmission by raising awareness of monkeypox, he said. Mass events shouldn’t be canceled, but used as opportunities to share information about the virus.
Kluge said countries must collaborate on treatments, vaccines and information about the virus.

The big picture: WHO announced it will convene an emergency meeting on June 23 to decide whether or not the current outbreak constitutes a public health emergency, the Associated Press reports.