BackOn monkeypox virus mutation, here's what WHO said
Rosamund Lewis, head of the smallpox secretariat which is part of the WHO Emergencies Programme, said that mutations are typically lower with this virus, although genome sequencing of cases will help inform understanding of the current outbreak
PremiumThe World Health Organization (WHO) does not have evidence that the monkeypox virus has mutated, a senior executive at the UN agency said on Monday, noting the infectious disease that is endemic in west and central Africa has tended not to change.
Rosamund Lewis, head of the smallpox secretariat which is part of the WHO Emergencies Programme, said that mutations are typically lower with this virus, although genome sequencing of cases will help inform understanding of the current outbreak.
Monkeypox cases around the world
As many as 20 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, with more than 100 confirmed or suspected infections mostly in Europe.
The outbreaks are raising alarm because monkeypox, which spreads through close contact and was first found in monkeys, mostly occurs in west and central Africa, and only very occasionally spreads elsewhere.
Below is a list of countries that have so far reported suspected or confirmed cases, in alphabetical order:
ASIA-PACIFIC
* AUSTRALIA on May 20 reported its first case in a traveller who recently returned from Britain. Another suspected case was also identified.
EUROPE
* AUSTRIA confirmed its first case on May 22.
* BELGIUM detected two cases on May 20.
* DENMARK confirmed its first case on May 23.
* FRANCE confirmed a first case in the Paris region on May 20, according to French media outlets.
* GERMANY has confirmed three cases, with the first registered on May 20.
* ITALY confirmed two cases in Rome May 20, bringing the country's total to three.
* The NETHERLANDS reported its first case on May 20. It has since confirmed "several" more patients, without stating the exact number.
* PORTUGAL reported 14 new confirmed cases on May 23, bringing the total to 37.
* SPAIN confirmed four more cases in the Madrid region on May 23, raising the total to 34, with another 38 suspected cases in Madrid.
* SWEDEN confirmed its first case on May 19.
* SWITZERLAND reported its first confirmed case on May 21.
* The UNITED KINGDOM detected 11 new cases in England on May 20, taking the total of confirmed cases in the country to 20.
MIDDLE EAST
* ISRAEL confirmed its first case on May 21.
AMERICAS
* ARGENTINA reported its first suspected case on May 23. No cases are yet confirmed in South America.
* CANADA confirmed two infections on May 19. Quebec authorities said they were investigating 17 suspected cases.
* The UNITED STATES has confirmed two cases, the first on May 18. A third case is suspected as of May 23.
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