Tuguegarao City, Cagayan – The Monkeypox expert of the World Health Organization told reporters on Wednesday, June 1, that the viral disease “is not likely” to turn into a pandemic, however, the WHO is still conducting further research as it is detected in many nations.
WHO Top Monkeypox expert Dr. Rosamund Lewis said that eventhough hundreds of infections from the disease is reported in many countries, she doesn’t see it progressing into a pandemic.
However, Lewis bared that there is still very little known about Monkeypox, citing that the WHO is still studying how it spreads exactly and if the smallpox vaccine may really protect individuals from it.
The health expert added that the longtime suspension of the smallpox immunization is now being probed if it may be causing the spread of the disease.
Lewis also said in a presser that many of the infections in the world are from gay, bisexual men who engage in sexual intercourse, urging involved people to be extra careful.
The WHO expert said in an official statement, “At the moment, we are not concerned about a global pandemic. We are concerned that individuals may acquire this infection through high-risk exposure if they don’t have the information they need to protect themselves.”
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease first discovered in Central and West Africa back in 1958, which includes the smallpox or variola virus along with the vaccinia virus which can infect humans, animals as well as surfaces of objects with contamination of the virus.
The WHO mentioned in its advisory two weeks ago that Monkeypox is relatively similar to smallpox, however, it is less transmissible.
The Monkeypox virus is also slower in mutating as it belongs to the DNA virus family, unlike the COVID-19 virus which belongs to the RNA family of viruses which evolve a lot faster and are more transmissible.
Presently, there are 23 countries that have confirmed over 250 cases. TNF