Americas Epicenter of Monkeypox Outbreak

The countries of the Americas have become the epicenter of the global outbreak of monkeypox with more than 30,000 cases concentrated mainly in the United States, Brazil, Peru and Canada, the Pan American Health Organization said on Wednesday.

However, he clarified that mass vaccination is not necessary for now.

“With the shortage of vaccines and without effective treatment for monkeypox, countries must intensify their efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in our region,” said PAHO Director Carissa Etienne. “We have the means to slow down this virus,” she said at a virtual news conference from the organization’s headquarters in Washington.

It is the second time in recent years that the countries of the Americas are the global epicenter of a virus outbreak. For months the region was the center of the COVID-19 pandemic, which, although the number of cases and hospitalizations has decreased, is still considered a threat to public health by experts and has caused almost 5,000 deaths in the last week, according to the PAHO.

Unlike COVID-19, monkeypox is not spread through the air. when a person comes into physical contact cwith one that is already sick, or with an animal.

Monkeypox has been circulating in central and western Africa for decades and was not known to have large outbreaks in countries on other continents or to spread widely among people until May, when dozens of cases began to be reported in Europe and North America.

In July, the World Health Organization declared a global emergency for monkeypox, the highest level of alert that has already been used in the past in similar Zika outbreaks in Latin America in 2016 and in the coronavirus pandemic, among others. . The statement does not necessarily mean that the disease is particularly communicable or fatal.

In the americas, most cases They have been detected among men who have sex with men, although at least 145 cases have also been confirmed among women and 54 cases among those under 18 years of age, PAHO said.

So far, 30,772 cases have been registered in 31 countries of the Americas and four deaths in Brazil, Cuba and Ecuador, according to PAHO.

Some 12 countries in the region have requested PAHO assistance to buy doses of the Bavarian Nordic vaccine and will begin receiving them from September, the organization said without providing details or the names of those countries. Another seven are analyzing if they will also do it.

PAHO, however, stressed that mainly due to supply shortages, the vaccine should only be applied to the highest-risk groups for now.

“The vaccine is a help tool, but not the one that will solve the definitive problems,” said the organization’s interim deputy director, Marcos Espinal.

To prevent the spread, it is essential to carry out communication campaigns with informative messages on how monkeypox is transmitted, how symptoms are identified and when and where to seek medical care, PAHO said.

Etienne also called on countries to increase and decentralize testing capacity, especially for high-risk populations, and to ensure that health workers are trained to identify symptoms.

One of the obstacles, the director said, is the stigma and discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ communities that affect their well-being and health.

“If we are not proactive in overcoming these barriers, monkeypox will spread silently,” he warned.

Symptoms of the disease include skin lesions such as rashes on the face, mouth, hands, and chest, among other places; fever, swollen glands and headache.

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