According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the outbreak of monkeypox in Europe can be stopped. There are encouraging signs that the number of cases in many European countries, including France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the UK, is declining week by week, the WHO said on Tuesday.
There has also been a decline in some parts of the United States despite scarce vaccine supplies. “We believe we can eliminate the ongoing human-to-human transmission of monkeypox in the (European) Region,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge. “To get closer to elimination, we urgently need to step up our efforts.”
Earlier detection of the infection, leading patients to isolate earlier, and behavioral changes are arguably the most important factors in the slowdown, said Catherine Smallwood, head of the Monkeypox Unit at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
There is evidence that people – especially men who have sex with men and belong to certain risk groups – are well informed about the disease.
