‘No sign of decline’ in monkeypox outbreak as cases continue to rise

Case updates from British health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate the ongoing monkeypox outbreak is getting worse as cases continue to rise. On Tuesday, the WHO reported “there are now 9,200 cases in 63 countries” around the world. That’s up from the “more than 6,000 cases in 58 countries” reported last week.

“The Emergency Committee for monkeypox will reconvene next week and look at trends, how effective the counter-measures are and make recommendations for what countries and communities should do to tackle the outbreak,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a Tuesday news conference. “I again stress that we must work to stop onward transmission and advise governments to implement contact tracing to help track and stem the virus as well as to assist people in isolation.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2022 Monkeypox Outbreak Global Map, 865 cases have been reported in the United States. The U.S. is one of 57 countries who have “not historically reported monkeypox,” but now are.

Another one of those 57 countries is Great Britain. On Tuesday, British health officials reported the country’s monkeypox case total is up to 1,735. British scientists estimate the outbreak is doubling in size about every two weeks.

“The current UK monkeypox outbreak shows no signs of a decline,” the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said last week. UKHSA Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections Dr. Meera Chand added, “It’s concerning that we are continuing to see the outbreak grow and we urge the public to do all they can to help us slow the spread.”

While the rise in monkeypox cases is indicative of a recent outbreak, the virus has been a problem for decades. A leading monkeypox expert told NPR the current outbreak was avoidable, but the looming threat was largely ignored.

“I think we can say, with monkeypox surveillance has been very poor,” WHO Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director Dr. Mike Ryan said last week. “What we’re actually seeing at the moment is a little bit like the drunk man looking for his keys under the lamp post. We’re looking where the light is, but we’re not looking in the dark and that’s the problem.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.