Cases of monkeypox have reached 9,200 in 63 countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Tuesday that the number of persons diagnosed with monkeypox has reached 9200, with infection found in 63 countries.

"On Monkeypox, there are now 9,200 cases in 63 countries. The Emergency Committee for monkeypox will reconvene next week and look at trends, how effective the countermeasures are, and make recommendations for what countries and communities should do to tackle the outbreak," Tedros said in a briefing.

On June 29, the WHO called for "intense" efforts to combat the virus, as well as broad data collection and sharing on how well vaccines work against it.

Since early May, experts have detected an increase in monkeypox cases outside of the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic. The majority of the new cases have occurred in Western Europe.

"I am concerned about sustained transmission because it would suggest that the virus is establishing itself and it could move into high-risk groups including children, the immunocompromised and pregnant women," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. "We are starting to see this, with several children already infected." There are two cases aged under 18 in Britain.

Monkeypox is an uncommon viral illness that is widespread in various African nations and often spreads to people from wild animals. Body fluids, respiratory droplets, and other contaminated items can all spread the illness. Normal symptoms of the sickness include fever, rash, and enlarged lymph nodes. The rash develops and passes through several phases before developing into a scab and eventually peeling off.

See more: Monkeypox: Should you be worried?