ROME, July 24 — Italy has confirmed more than 400 monkeypox cases, the country’s Health Ministry Prevention Director General Gianni Rezza said after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the current disease outbreak a public health emergency.
On Saturday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.
Rezza said in a statement on Saturday that Italy had registered 407 monkeypox cases so far, but the situation is under control, reported Sputnik.
Ghebreyesus emphasised that although the current monkeypox outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, “for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners”. At the same time, he called on countries to work closely with the affected groups, stepping up awareness campaigns, and warned against discrimination and stigma.
The monkeypox outbreak poses a moderate risk to all regions of the world except Europe, where the WHO assesses the risk as high, Ghebreyesus said.
According to the WHO chief, more than 16,000 monkeypox cases have been registered so far in 75 countries and territories, with five deaths confirmed.
Most people usually recover from monkeypox within a few weeks without treatment. The symptoms are initially flu-like, such as fever, chills, and swollen lymph nodes, which are then followed by a widespread rash. According to the WHO, the disease can be more severe in young children, pregnant women, and individuals who are immunocompromised.
The monkeypox virus is not easily transmitted and usually spreads through close physical contact, including sexual contact, with an infected individual. The virus can enter the human body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, eyes, nose and mouth, and via bodily fluids.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease (spread between animals and people). It originates in animals like rodents and primates and occurs in remote parts of Central and West Africa.
