WHO Spokesperson Condemns Attack on Animals due to Monkeypox

World Health Organization (WHO) spokeswoman, epidemiologist Margaret Harris, said Tuesday that the current outbreak of monkeypox, which is occurring in several countries around the world, poses a risk of transmission from humans and condemned attacks on animals, highlighting that the disease received its name only because it was first identified in monkeys.

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"The transmission we are seeing now with the large outbreak of monkeypox is the person-to-person transmission. The virus is in some animals, and we see a jump in humans, but that's not what we're seeing now. The risk of transmission comes from another human being," the expert said.

As shown on Monday Jornal Nacional, seven monkeys were rescued in Rio Preto in less than a week in the forest with signs of possible poisoning. Another animal was also found dead at the site.

These animals are suspected of having been poisoned after the confirmation of three positive cases of smallpox in monkeys in the city. However, the current outbreak has nothing to do with primates.

A spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), epidemiologist Margaret Harris said on Tuesday (9)

Harris said that the current concern about the disease should focus on the fact that monkeypox is being transmitted in the human population and that humans should be aware of sanitary measures to protect themselves from the virus.

The expert further explained that the way transmission could be stopped is helpful if people take precautions to avoid transmission by seeking medical help to recognize the characteristic symptoms of the disease.

"So don't stigmatize any animal or human being because if you do, we will have a much bigger outbreak," she added.

WHO is evaluating with experts the adoption of a new name for monkeypox after scientists wrote a letter to the organization requesting a new vocabulary "that is not discriminatory or stigmatizing."

Regarding this fact, the WHO epidemiologist added that the organization's current work is ongoing but did not set an exact date for the definition of the new name.

"There is a lot of work, and we will have some announcements soon," she said. Currently, according to the latest balance sheet of the Ministry of Health, Brazil already has 2 004 confirmed cases of monkeypox.