Monkeypox cases jump 20 percent, 7,500 new cases raise WHO concern

Geneva. Giving an update on the monkeypox virus on Wednesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 7,500 new cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide in the past week. Expressing concern over the rising figures, he said that there has been an increase of 20 per cent in new cases as compared to last week. Most of these cases have come from Europe and America and almost all cases have been seen in men who have sex with men. According to an AFP report, the global monkeypox tally has crossed the 35,000-mark and so far 12 people have died due to the virus. After the Kovid epidemic, this virus has become a matter of concern worldwide.

According to the WHO, studies on the mutation of the monkeypox virus are ongoing. The WHO said that nothing is known about the significance of the genetic changes of the virus. Also, the effect of mutation on virus transmission and disease severity is still being investigated. The supply of vaccines has also become a concern for health organizations. Disease control is becoming increasingly difficult due to the lack of vaccination in poor countries.

On the other hand, WHO has agreed to rename two known groups of monkeypox virus using Roman numerals. So far, two known groups of monkeypox virus have been named after African regions. The WHO reported that the clade which was earlier known as the Congo Basin Central African clade will now be known as Clade I, while the West African clade will be called Clade II.

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Tags: monkeypox, WHO