The World Health Organization says the “sustained transmission” of monkeypox worldwide could cause the virus to start spreading to high-risk groups such as pregnant women, immunocompromised people and children.
The WHO said Wednesday it is investigating reports of infected children, including two cases in the UK, as well as monitoring reports in Spain and France.
None of the cases in children have been serious.
The virus has now been identified in more than 50 new countries outside the Central and West African countries where it is endemic.
The WHO says cases are also on the rise in these countries and calls for increased evidence.
“I am concerned about sustained transmission because it would suggest that the virus (is) being established and could spread to high-risk groups such as children, immunocompromised women and pregnant women,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. in an online briefing from Geneva. Wednesday.
There have been more than 3,400 cases of smallpox and one death since the outbreak began in May, largely in Europe among men who have sex with men, according to a WHO count.
There have also been more than 1,500 cases and 66 deaths in countries where it is common to spread.
Last week, the WHO ruled that the outbreak did not yet represent a public health emergency, its highest alert level.
However, Tedros said the WHO was closely monitoring the outbreak and would reconvene the committee “as soon as possible” to assess whether it remained the case.
Tedros said 11 of the experts at the last committee meeting were against declaring an emergency while three were in favor.
The United Nations agency said it was also working on a mechanism to distribute vaccines more equitably, after countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States suggested they were willing to share their stored smallpox vaccines. , which also protect against monkeypox.
with DPA