WHO calls for urgent action as monkeypox cases triple in Europe
- 90 per cent of all lab-confirmed cases worldwide are in the region, which is at the centre of an expanding outbreak
- The WHO’s regional director for Europe urged governments to scale up efforts to prevent the disease from establishing itself across a growing geographical area
The World Health Organization called on Friday for “urgent” action to prevent the spread of monkeypox in Europe, noting that cases had tripled in the region over the past two weeks.
“Today, I am intensifying my call for governments and civil society to scale up efforts … to prevent monkeypox from establishing itself across a growing geographical area,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge said.
“Urgent and coordinated action is imperative if we are to turn a corner in the race to reverse the ongoing spread of this disease.”
Since early May, a surge in monkeypox cases has been detected outside West and Central African countries where the viral disease is endemic.
Ninety per cent of all laboratory-confirmed cases registered worldwide – or 4,500 infections – are in Europe, Kluge said.