WHO: Early signs of monkeypox decline in Europe

The World Health Organisation's Europe director said on Tuesday the monkeypox outbreak may be slowing in the European region.

WHO Europe Regional Director Hans Kluge, said that there are encouraging early signs, as evidenced in France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and other countries that the outbreak may be slowing and the European region has recorded more than 22,000 confirmed cases across 43 countries and areas representing more than a third of the global tally.

At a press briefing last week, WHO Director-General said although there were indications the monkeypox outbreak was slowing in Europe, which once accounted for 90% of the world's lab-confirmed cases, the spread of the virus was now causing concerns elsewhere. To date, more than 45,000 monkeypox cases have been reported in 98 countries since late April.

The Americas accounted for 60% of cases in the past month, WHO said, while cases in Europe comprised about 38%. It said infections in the Americas showed "a continuing steep rise."

Kluge said meanwhile that COVID-19 continued to pose a risk with the region projected to reach 250 million cases in a matter of weeks, a third of the global record since the pandemic began two and a half years ago.

Since 2017, there have been 396 cases of polio caused by the wild virus, versus more than 2,600 linked to the oral vaccine, according to figures from the World Health Organization and its partners.