The World Health Network (WHN) has declared the outbreak of monkeypox a pandemic and called for the World Health Organization and governments to take action and contain the spread. At least 3,417 confirmed Monkeypox cases were reported across 58 countries, and the rate of growth of cases increases week by week across multiple continents, according to the global health coalition. “WHN declares the monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Global Concern, which indicates that this outbreak is not limited to a single country or region and should be addressed by immediate actions taken wherever community transmission is taking place in order to ensure that the least effort is needed and the smallest impact is suffered due to this outbreak,” it stated. Commonly identified in remote parts of Central and West Africa, the virus has been confirmed in Europe, the Americas and Australia. Julien Niyingabira, the Head of Rwanda Health Communications Center, told The New Times that there are currently no identified cases in Rwanda and surveillance continues around the country. The global coalition stated that “the current conditions are such that stopping the outbreak is likely possible with widespread case identification and contact tracing.” It recommended that there should be widespread public communication about the symptoms that identify monkeypox, availability of testing without restrictions, and information about the need to isolate from others where symptoms may indicate infection. A person is considered to be at high risk of having caught the infection if they have had household or sexual contact with someone with monkeypox, or have changed the bedding of an infected person without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Symptoms, which include a high temperature, aches, and a rash of raised spots that later turn into blisters, are typically mild and for most people clear up within two to four weeks.
