The World Health Organization has made an unusual call for Brazilians to stop killing monkeys over concerns that they are the main vectors of the disease. monkey smallpox.
“What people need to know is the transmission we are seeing happening among peopleWHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said in Geneva.
The plea comes after reports of physical attacks on monkeys in Brazil, where 10 monkeys were poisoned in the city of Rio Preto and others were found in various torture states. together. Harris reiterated that primates are not responsible for the increase in cases of human-to-human transmission.
According to the WHO, about a dozen deaths and 28,100 cases have been confirmed outside West and Central Africa, where the virus is classified as endemic. Brazil has recorded more than 1,700 cases and one death. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 98% of monkeypox cases have been reported in men who have sex with men.
The World Health Organization has blamed the name of the disease as the main reason for the mistreatment of monkeys, citing that several other animals and rodents carry the disease. “The concern should be about where it is [is circulating] in the human population and what humans can do to protect themselves from infection and transmission,” says Harris. “People should definitely not attack any animals.”
On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization for the Jynneous vaccine and its use in an effort to immunize more people amid supply chain shortages. supply. The team said the vaccine should be given intradermally, or between layers of skin, rather than subcutaneously or directly under the skin. The change in method is expected to increase the number of doses from one vial to five doses from one. The group says all high-risk adults should be vaccinated. Only people under the age of 18 receive the traditional subcutaneous vaccine.
