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GENEVA: The head of the World Health Organization believes that the ongoing Ampox outbreak In Africa could be stopped in the next six months, and said on Friday that the agency’s first consignment Vaccines should arrive in Congo In just a few days. To date, Africa has received only a small fraction of the vaccines needed to slow the spread of the virus, particularly in Congo, which has the most cases – more than 18,000 suspected cases and 629 deaths.
“With leadership from governments and close collaboration between partners, we believe we can contain these outbreaks within the next six months.” Who Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Said in a press briefing.
He said that while the number of mpox infections has been increasing rapidly in the past few weeks, there have been relatively few deaths. Tedros also said that 258 cases of the new variant of mpox have been reported, with patients identified in Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Sweden and Thailand.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared the ongoing ampox outbreak in Africa a global pandemic. Global EmergencyThe issue is expected to spur a strong global response Disease On a continent where cases have been spreading undetected for years in several countries, including Nigeria, scientists in May detected a new form of the disease in Congo that they think may spread even more easily.
Ampox, also known as monkeypox, is related to? Smallpox But symptoms are usually mild, such as fever, headache and body aches. In severe cases, people may develop painful sores and blisters on their face, chest, arms and genitals. Ampox is usually spread through skin-to-skin contact.
The WHO estimated that about 230,000 doses of vaccines could be shipped to Congo and elsewhere “shortly.” The agency said it was also running education campaigns to raise awareness about how to prevent the spread of ampox in countries with outbreaks.
Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the World Health Organization’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Diseases, said the agency was working to accelerate access to the vaccine to affected countries, given the limited supply available.
Scientists have previously pointed out that without a better understanding of how ampox is spreading in Africa, it can be difficult to know how to best use vaccines.
Earlier this week, the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the continent expected to receive about 380,000 doses of the ampox vaccines promised by donors including the U.S. and the European Union. That’s less than 15% of the doses officials have said are needed to end Congo’s ampox outbreak. (AP) AMS AMS
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