WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) SAYS IT IS WORKING WITH PARTNERS ON RENAMING MONKEYPOX AND ITS VARIANTS, AND ALSO TO PUT IN PLACE A MECHANISM TO HELP SHARE AVAILABLE VACCINES, MORE EQUITABLY, AS THE NEED ARISES.
WHO DIRECTOR GENERAL, DR TEDROS GHEBREYESUS, DISCLOSED THIS AT A NEWS CONFERENCE ON TUESDAY IN GENEVA.
HE SAID WHO HAD PUBLISHED GUIDELINES ON VACCINATION AGAINST MONKEYPOX AND ALSO PUBLISHED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GOVERNMENTS REGARDING CASE DETECTION AND CONTROL OF THE DISEASE.
SPEAKING TO JOURNALISTS IN GENEVA, WHO SMALLPOX EXPERT, DR ROSAMUND LEWIS, SAID IT WAS CRUCIAL TO RAISE AWARENESS IN THE POPULATION ABOUT THE LEVEL OF RISK AND EXPLAIN THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO AVOID INFECTING CLOSE CONTACTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS.
LEWIS EXPLAINED THAT ALTHOUGH THE DISEASE SOMETIMES ONLY PRODUCED MILD SYMPTOMS, SUCH AS SKIN LESIONS, IT COULD BE CONTAGIOUS FOR TWO TO FOUR WEEKS.
