Vigilance called for on outbreak of monkeypox

SYDNEY — Authorities and experts are calling on people to be vigilant and alert over the recent outbreak of the monkeypox virus, which has been spreading across the globe in recent weeks.

Raina MacIntyre, head of the Biosecurity Program at the University of New South Wales, has hit the ground running to inform the public and called on the government to ready itself for a potential outbreak.

In an article published on the university’s website on Monday, she reiterated that the initial cases were not a “cause for panic”, but a reminder for people returning from overseas to “remain vigilant”.

A Cambodian expert echoed MacIntyre’s view, saying that monkeypox is another emerging public health concern worldwide.

“Please continue your health precautionary measures to prevent possible transmission, though no case of monkeypox has been found in Cambodia yet,” Or Vandine, a spokeswoman for Cambodia’s Ministry of Health, said in a news release.

“People should be vigilant and alert, taking all precautionary measures for your own health.”

The WHO said the available information suggests that humanto-human transmission is occurring among people in close physical contact with people who are symptomatic.

Monkeypox is rarely identified outside of Africa.

A World Health Organization roundup of the outbreak on Saturday said there were 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox, mostly in Europe but also in Canada, the United States and Australia.

New infections

On Sunday, one presumptive case of monkeypox was being investigated in Broward County in South Florida, which state health officials said appeared to be related to international travel.

Argentina’s health ministry said on Sunday that it had detected a suspected case of monkeypox in the capital Buenos Aires.

Late last week, the Australian state of New South Wales recorded the nation’s first case of the virus, and a second case was later confirmed in the Victorian capital Melbourne.

The United Nations AIDS agency on Sunday called some reporting on the monkeypox virus racist and homophobic, warning of exacerbating stigma and undermining the response to the growing outbreak.

“Stigma and blame undermine trust and capacity to respond effectively during outbreaks like this one,” UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Matthew Kavanagh said.

“Experience shows that stigmatizing rhetoric can quickly disable evidence-based response by stoking cycles of fear, driving people away from health services, impeding efforts to identify cases, and encouraging ineffective, punitive measures.”