The monkeypox outbreaks in Europe and North America are concentrated among who?

Image: Monkeypox virus, PDB-101.rcsb.org, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The monkeypox outbreaks in Europe and North America are concentrated among who?

In Africa, monkeypox mainly spread to people by infected wild animals in limited outbreaks. In Europe and America, 99% of all monkeypox cases were in men. Of those, 98% involved men who have sex with men.

How many people have been affected so far?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, more than 16,500 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since May 2022.

Did WHO declare a monkeypox global emergency?

The World Health Organization chief said on July 23, 2022, that the monkeypox outbreak in over 70 countries is an “extraordinary” situation that qualifies as a global emergency. He called for the world to “act together in solidarity” regarding the distribution of treatments, tests, and vaccines for monkeypox.