New York declares state emergency as monkeypox infections spread, WHO warns of more deaths to come in Europe

New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a disaster emergency due to the spread of monkeypox in the state.

The state is experiencing one of the highest rates of monkeypox transmission in the country with 1,383 reported cases as of Friday, Hochul said in the executive order. The virus was declared an imminent threat to public health by the New York State Commissioner of Health on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization’s European office said on Saturday that more monkeypox-related deaths are to be expected, following reports of the first fatalities outside Africa, while stressing that severe complications were still rare.

“With the continued spread of monkeypox in Europe, we will expect to see more deaths,” Catherine Smallwood, Senior Emergency Officer at WHO Europe, said in a statement.

Smallwood emphasised that the goal needs to be “interrupting transmission quickly in Europe and stopping this outbreak”. However, she stressed that in most cases the disease heals itself without the need for treatment.

“The notification of deaths due to monkeypox does not change our assessment of the outbreak in Europe. We know that although self-limiting in most cases, monkeypox can cause severe complications,” Smallwood noted.