Amid four deaths due to monkeypox outside Africa, including India, the WHO has said that the infectious disease is likely to lead to more fatalities
With the continued spread of monkeypox, we will expect to see more deaths,” Catherine Smallwood, Senior Emergency Officer at WHO Europe, said
The outbreak which was first reported in May, has since spread to 78 countries with more than 18,000 cases, according to the WHO’s last update on July 28
At the time, five monkeypox-related deaths were reported in Africa
Last week, two deaths were reported from Spain and one each from Brazil and India
A 22-year-old youth, from Kerala died on Saturday reportedly due to monkeypox
“Time for us all to act,” Smallwood said earlier on Twitter, adding that people “who are most likely to be exposed to #monkeypox need to act to reduce their exposures”
She also stressed the need to make “testing, healthcare & vaccination easy & quick. Cannot let #Covid19 fatigue hold us back!”