A slowdown in monkeypox cases has bolstered confidence that the outbreak can be eradicated in Europe, World Health Organization officials said. “We believe we can eliminate continuous human-to-human transmission of monkeypox in the region”
Despite limited vaccine supplies, many countries in Europe including France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the UK have seen a steady week-to-week decline in new cases. Some parts of the United States also reported a slowdown and a decrease in numbers. “We believe that we will be able to eliminate continuous human-to-human transmission of monkeypox in the region,” said Hans Kluge, the organization’s regional director for Europe, in a press briefing. “In order to move towards eliminating the virus in our region, we must urgently increase our efforts.”
Kluge pointed to the example of Portugal, where the government’s efforts to increase awareness prompted people “to take precautions, which resulted in better health outcomes and helped curb the outbreak.” Europe, which has confirmed more than 22,000 monkeypox cases (more than a third of the global number), has so far approved one monkeypox vaccine.
The monkeypox virus broke out in Europe in early May after reports of cases in several African countries. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency 10 weeks later.