Monkeypox outbreak can be eliminated in Europe

LONDON (Reuters) – It is possible to eliminate the monkeypox outbreak in Europe, World Health Organization officials said on Tuesday, highlighting evidence that case counts are slowing in a handful of countries.

Given scarce vaccine supply and the time it takes to deploy the vaccine and for it to take effect, it appears factors such as earlier detection, which leads to patients isolating themselves sooner, and behavioural changes are playing a significant role, Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer and monkeypox incident manager at WHO/Europe told a briefing.

“We believe we can eliminate sustained human-to-human transmission of monkeypox in the region,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge.