WHO Advises Safety Guidelines Even As Monkeypox Spread Detected in Children

The monkeypox caseload has crossed 3,400. The WHO has flagged cases in children and pregnant women as concerning.

Monkeypox, originally endemic to West and Central Africa, has spread to over 50 countries.

(Photo: iStock)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised concerns about the spread of monkeypox in particularly sensitive groups like pregnant women, children, and immunocompromised people.

The UN organization said, on Wednesday, 29 June, that it is currently investigating multiple reports of children being infected with the monkeypox virus, including two cases from the United Kingdom and many others from France and Spain.

The organization added that none of the cases in children have been severe, but have advised caution and community outreach to limit transmission.

As of 27 June, over 3,400 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 50 countries. One death has been reported from Nigeria.

The WHO's director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had called for an emergency meeting on 23 June to decide whether monkeypox represented a global health emergency, and while the organization has not flagged the virus as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), it has issued fresh guidelines on the same.

"I'm concerned about sustained transmission because it suggests that the virus is establishing itself and could spread further in high risk groups including children, the immunocompromised and pregnant women."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director, WHO

The WHO has also issued guidelines for safety and limiting transmission of monkeypox. The guidelines include:

• Practice safe sexual practices

• Management of large gatherings on a risk-based basis

• Postponing gatherings is not advised but rather using gatherings to spread information and engage the community on the disease

The WHO's guidelines also include instructions on risk-based actions. These are:

1. Risk evaluation: identification and quantification of the baseline risks based on the characteristics of the event and the context in which it takes place

2. Risk mitigation: application of a package of precautionary measures aimed at decreasing the baseline risk

3. Risk communication: proactive dissemination of information on the measures adopted, their rationale and purpose, and on how the relevant decisions were taken.

Earlier in June, the WHO had flagged concerns of community transmission in some countries, with cases popping up in women and children.

Symptoms of monkeypox include a fever, fatigue, body aches, chills, and in more serious cases, lesions or rashes on the face and other parts of hte body.

While most people infected with Monkeypox recover with no significant problems, the disease could cause severe complications in sensitive groups like pregnant women and children.

While the smallpox vaccine is used to treat monkeypox, the WHO has advised against mass inoculation, suggesting instead that only sensitive groups and high-risk people be vaccinated first.