Study shows 95% monkeypox cases via sexual activity, WHO holds meet
As the monkeypox outbreak is spreading across the world and two cases have been detected in India, a study has shown that 95% of the cases have been transmitted through sexual activity.
According to the research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, new clinical signs such as single genital lesions were noted. Meanwhile, with nearly 15,400 cases reported from 71 countries, the WHO held a second meeting over the outbreak.
Here are the top five updates on monkeypox:
1. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that 95% of monkeypox cases have been transmitted through sexual activity. What is said to be the largest study to date, led by scientists at the Queen Mary University of London, the study looked at 528 confirmed infections in 16 countries between April 27 and June 24. Reportedly, the monkeypox DNA was present in the semen of 29 out of 32 people who got tested. However, it is still unclear whether the material is capable of transmission, reported AFP.
2. According to reports, the study’s findings will “aid in the future diagnosis, slow the spread of infection, and assist the international community in allocating the limited global supply of monkeypox vaccines and treatments to the most vulnerable communities”.
3. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency committee met for the second time to discuss the monkeypox outbreak. Earlier on June 23, the WHO convened an emergency committee of experts to decide if monkeypox constitutes a so-called Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) — the UN health agency’s highest alert level.
4. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 15,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 71 countries so far. Some of the worst-hit countries include Africa, US, UK, and Spain, among others.
5. Thailand became the latest country on Thursday to have confirmed the country’s first monkeypox infection. A 27-year-old Nigerian national in the southern island of Phuket had a history of travelling and had been ill for about a week.