The European health agency ECDC has urged EU member states to take stricter measures to contain the monkeypox outbreak. Otherwise, there is a risk that the disease will become endemic in Europe – that is, it will keep coming back and never go away. Countries have therefore been urged to review their stocks of smallpox vaccines and stockpile the drugs to treat the disease.
Countries have also been asked to update contact tracing and focus on logging new cases.
Notification of monkey pox in Austria will soon be mandatory
In Austria, preparations for this are in full swing: the “specialist contact person management documents” should be available to the responsible health authorities in the countries by Tuesday morning at the latest. Then they must also be published on the homepage of the Ministry of Health. There was or is something similar before the corona pandemic. According to the Ministry of Health, the notification requirement for monkey pox must also be introduced by Tuesday morning.
So far 67 confirmed cases across the EU
There is one confirmed case of infection in this country, so far health authorities have not identified any other suspected cases, as the Department of Health announced at the request of the APA. According to the ECDC, 67 infections were detected on Monday in nine countries across the European Union – in addition to Austria, also in Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Spain.
In addition, there are 42 suspected cases under investigation across the EU. Meanwhile, in the UK, where the virus first emerged in Europe, the number of confirmed cases has risen to 56.
“High” chance of further spread
“Most of the current cases show mild symptoms of the disease and the chances of it spreading to the general population are very small,” ECDC Director Andrea Ammon said Monday. However, the chance of further spreading the virus through close contact, especially sexual intercourse, is considered high.
According to doctors, the disease course in monkeypox is usually mild, but there are rarely serious cases that can lead to death. The ECDC on Monday named groups such as small children, pregnant women and immunocompromised people as high-risk groups.
WHO: “Manageable Situation”
So far, no serious cures have been registered in the known new outbreaks in Europe and North America, explains Maria van Kerkhove of the World Health Organization (WHO). “It’s a manageable situation,” she said. However, the WHO still sees open questions about the spread of the virus.
A significant proportion of cases in Europe have so far occurred in gay or bisexual men, but the WHO has turned its back on them against stigmatization of certain population groups. “This is not a gay disease,” said WHO expert Andy Seale. Sexual contact is a possibility of transmission, but skin contact is also sufficient.
Because the virus is usually transmitted from animals to humans, especially small rodents, the EU health agency ECDC warns that transmission of the disease to wild animals must be prevented. Medical professionals should therefore work with veterinarians to treat vulnerable pets. In principle, however, a spread to the animal population is considered unlikely.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
