WHO / MONKEYPOX

STORY: WHO / MONKEYPOX
TRT: 04:52
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 23 MAY 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE

1. Wide shot, press conference
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
"More than 550 confirmed cases have now been reported to WHO, from 30 countries that are not endemic for monkeypox virus. Investigations are ongoing, but the sudden appearance of monkeypox in many countries at the same time suggests there may have been undetected transmission for some time. So far, most cases have been reported among men who have sex with men presenting with symptoms at sexual health clinics. These communities are working hard to inform their members about the risks of monkeypox and prevent transmission. But all of us must work hard to fight stigma, which is not just wrong, it could also prevent infected individuals from seeking care, making it harder to stop transmission."
3. Wide shot, press conference
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
"WHO is urging affected countries to widen their surveillance, to look for cases in the broader community. Anyone can be infected with monkeypox if they have close physical contact with someone else who is infected. The situation is evolving, and we expect that more cases will continue to be found. It’s important to remember that generally, monkeypox symptoms resolve on their own, but it can be severe in some cases."
5. Wide shot, press conference
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
"In Tigray, Ethiopia, blockades have caused a shortage of fuel that is crippling the health system. More than 6 million people remain under siege by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, after more than 18 months. Although some food is being delivered, it’s not enough, and basic services remain unavailable, and the region feels sealed-off from the rest of the world. The Ayder hospital in Mekelle, the region’s only referral hospital, is at risk of shutting down because of lack of fuel to run generators and ambulances. The hospital is running very low on basic supplies, like IV fluids and antibiotics, even as hospital staff are reportedly collapsing due to hunger. This is a hospital serving a population of six million people, which is responsible for performing thousands of surgeries and deliveries every year. WHO is doing its best to help, but the only solution to this inhumane situation – as in Ukraine – is peace."
7. Wide shot, press conference
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Rosamund Lewis, Technical Lead for Monkeypox, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization (WHO):
"So, we don't really know whether it's too late to contain. What we are - WHO and all member states - are certainly trying to do is to prevent onward spread. So, it's really important that we collectively all work together to prevent onward spread through contact tracing, outbreak investigation, isolation for people who have a diagnosis of monkeypox and symptoms. It's not too late to do that kind of really basic public health work. It's really important that we continue to do that. "
9. Wide shot, press conference
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization (WHO):
"There are thousands and thousands of cases of monkeypox every year in Africa, and there are deaths every year. And our concern now is real. We have a concern about this disease spreading in Europe. But I certainly didn't hear that same level of concern over the last five or ten years. So, I think this is a lesson. These diseases will continue to emerge. They will continue to pressure. They will continue to cross the species barrier. The question is, are we in a position to collectively respond? Are we in a position to share resources in order to stop onward transmission of these diseases within human communities."
11. Wide shot, press conference
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 Technical lead, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization (WHO):
"And so, what we want to ensure is that we take steps to prevent onward transmission so that we don't see this virus entrenched in communities across Europe, across the Americas, across the western Pacific, across the eastern Mediterranean region."
13. Wide shot, press conference

The Head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, today (1 Jun) said, “the sudden appearance of monkeypox in many countries at the same time suggests there may have been undetected transmission for some time.”

Tedros said, “more than 550 confirmed cases have now been reported to WHO, from 30 countries that are not endemic for monkeypox virus” and “so far, most cases have been reported among men who have sex with men presenting with symptoms at sexual health clinics.”

He said, "WHO is urging affected countries to widen their surveillance, to look for cases in the broader community. Anyone can be infected with monkeypox if they have close physical contact with someone else who is infected. The situation is evolving, and we expect that more cases will continue to be found. It’s important to remember that generally, monkeypox symptoms resolve on their own, but it can be severe in some cases."

Turning to the situation in Tigray, Ethiopia, the WHO Director-General said, "blockades have caused a shortage of fuel that is crippling the health system. More than 6 million people remain under siege by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, after more than 18 months. Although some food is being delivered, it’s not enough, and basic services remain unavailable, and the region feels sealed-off from the rest of the world. The Ayder hospital in Mekelle, the region’s only referral hospital, is at risk of shutting down because of lack of fuel to run generators and ambulances. The hospital is running very low on basic supplies, like IV fluids and antibiotics, even as hospital staff are reportedly collapsing due to hunger. This is a hospital serving a population of six million people, which is responsible for performing thousands of surgeries and deliveries every year. WHO is doing its best to help, but the only solution to this inhumane situation – as in Ukraine – is peace."

The WHO’s Technical Lead for Monkeypox, Dr Rosamund Lewis, said, “we don't really know whether it's too late to contain what we are WHO and all member states are certainly trying to do is to prevent onward spread. So, it's really important that we collectively all work together to prevent onward spread through contact tracing, outbreak investigation, isolation for people who have a diagnosis of monkeypox and symptoms. It's not too late to do that kind of really basic public health work. It's really important that we continue to do that. "

For his part, the Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Mike Ryan, said, "there are thousands and thousands of cases of monkeypox every year in Africa, and there are deaths every year. And our concern now is real. We have a concern about this disease spreading in Europe. But I certainly didn't hear that same level of concern over the last five or ten years. So, I think this is a lesson. These diseases will continue to emerge. They will continue to pressure. They will continue to cross the species barrier. The question is, are we in a position to collectively respond? Are we in a position to share resources in order to stop onward transmission of these diseases within human communities."

Turning to COVID-19, the WHO’s Technical lead, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said, "what we want to ensure is that we take steps to prevent onward transmission so that we don't see this virus entrenched in communities across Europe, across the Americas, across the western Pacific, across the eastern Mediterranean region."