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Outbreaks of diseases like monkeypox becoming more frequent, WHO warns

June 1, 2022

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By
Staff

Reuters

1:24Monkeypox mortality rate unclear due to lack of surveillance in some countries: WHO

On Wednesday, World Health Organization infectious disease epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said that due to a lack of surveillance in some countries, the mortality rate for monkeypox is unclear. The WHO is requesting countries increase their surveillance of these cases, and Van Kerkhove added there’s “a lot” that could be done to better understand the illness.

Outbreaks of endemic diseases such as monkeypox and lassa fever are becoming more persistent and frequent, the World Health Organization’s emergencies director, Mike Ryan, warned on Wednesday.

As the climate change contributes to rapidly changing weather conditions like drought, animals and human are changing their food-seeking behaviour. As a result, diseases that typically circulate in animals are increasingly jumping into humans, he said.

“Unfortunately, that ability to amplify that disease and move it on within our communities is increasing – so both disease emergence and disease amplification factors have increased.”

1:14WHO doesn’t expect monkeypox to turn into another pandemic

WHO doesn’t expect monkeypox to turn into another pandemic