As health authorities in Europe and elsewhere scramble to roll out vaccines and drugs to stamp out the biggest monkeypox outbreak beyond Africa, some doctors are acknowledging an ugly reality: The resources needed to prevent the disease have long been available, just not to the Africans who have dealt with it for decades.
and the U.S. are offering to immunize people and considering the use of antivirals. On Thursday, the World Health Organization will convene a special meeting to discuss monkeypox research priorities and related issues.There have been more than 1,400 monkeypox cases and 63 deaths in four countries where the disease is endemic — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Nigeria — according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Generally, Africa has only had “small stockpiles” of smallpox vaccine to offer health workers when monkeypox outbreaks happen, said Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of the Africa CDC.Limited vaccine supply and competing health priorities have meant that immunization against monkeypox hasn’t been widely pursued in Africa, said Dr. Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief, said the agency was considering allowing rich countries to use the smallpox vaccines to try to limit the spread of monkeypox. WHO manages similar mechanisms to help poor countries get vaccines for diseases like yellow fever and meningitis, but such efforts have not been previously used for countries that can otherwise afford shots.
Dr. Hugh Adler and colleagues recently published a paper suggesting the antiviral drug tecovirimat could help fight monkeypox. The drug,
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Special Section: Africa FDI Edition 2022READ Africa 2022 Special Edition by Mercury Global Reports available in today's edition of WashTimes. MTsokkos SeptimiusLtd MoroccoNow_Ofcl AmChamTunisia africa afcfta ghana morocco cameroon tunisia libya capeverde ecowas sponsored
Read more »
Drought threatens starvation in Horn of Africa, U.N., agencies sayMillions of people face severe hunger in the Horn of Africa as the worst drought in more than 40 years could extend to a fifth consecutive failed rainy season, the United Nations and humanitarian agencies warned on Tuesday.
Read more »
Far from Ukraine, food prices and hunger rise in Africa because of the warFamilies across Africa are paying about 45% more for wheat flour as Russia's war in Ukraine blocks exports from the Black Sea.
Read more »
Africans see inequity in monkeypox response elsewhereOSUN, Nigeria (AP) — As health authorities in Europe and elsewhere roll out vaccines and drugs to stamp out the biggest monkeypox outbreak beyond Africa, some doctors acknowledge an ugly reality: The resources to slow the disease's spread have long been available, just not to the Africans who have dealt with it for decades .
Read more »
Everything WHO has said about monkeypox from pandemic fears to causesThe WHO has reiterated that although monkeypox is spreading, it is very different from COVID-19.
Read more »